Kolkata: The Supreme Court on Monday granted the West Bengal government and the School Service Commission (SSC) a final nine-month extension to complete fresh recruitment of teachers and school staff against around 35,000 vacancies after the cancellation of the 2016 recruitment panel.
A bench of Justices Sanjay Kumar and Sachin Sachdeva extended the deadline to May 31, 2027, when the case will next be heard. The court made it clear that no further extension would be granted.
The vacancies comprise around 23,000 posts in Classes IX-X and 12,000 in Classes XI-XII. The state had told the court that it needed at least eight more months to complete the recruitment process under the 2025 rules.
The Supreme Court had earlier cancelled the entire 2016 SSC panel over allegations of irregularities, resulting in the loss of jobs of around 26,000 teachers and non-teaching staff. It subsequently directed the state to conduct a fresh recruitment process.
The court also maintained its December 18 order allowing teachers who were not identified as ineligible to continue working on an interim basis. They will remain in service until May 31, 2027, while the fresh recruitment process is completed.
A fresh examination has already been conducted, with those identified as ineligible barred from appearing. However, the recruitment process is yet to be completed. Counsels appearing for deprived job seekers said the deadline covers recruitment to teacher posts as well as Group C and Group D positions.