A number of Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders and their kin have misplaced clerical jobs in West Bengal authorities colleges due to a latest Calcutta excessive courtroom order, which sought termination of service of those that paid bribes for employment, leaders of the ruling get together stated.
Shut family of a number of TMC legislators and district leaders have misplaced their jobs. Some ruling get together functionaries within the districts have turn into jobless as nicely. Whereas a few of them averted the media, the remainder claimed they didn’t use any clout to affect the recruitment course of.
On March 10, the state authorities revealed an inventory of 842 Group-C employees discovered to have been illegally appointed over the previous few years. The order to terminate their service was given by excessive courtroom decide Abhijit Gangopadhyay on March 8.
Binita Mondal, daughter of the TMC’s three-time MLA from North 24 Parganas district’s Minakhan constituency, Usha Rani Mondal, was appointed as a clerk 4 years in the past at a faculty in Belghoria. Binita’s father, Mrityunjay Mondal, is a TMC functionary in Minakhan.
“I knew that my daughter bought the job due to her advantage. I didn’t strategy anybody to assist her,” Mrityunjay Mondal stated. He didn’t problem the termination.
In South 24 Parganas district, Sudip Haldar, son of TMC’s three-time Mandirbazar MLA Joydeb Haldar, figures among the many job losers. Neither Sudip Haldar nor his father might be contacted.
“Joydeb Haldar didn’t go to his workplace since Friday,” a district TMC chief stated on situation of anonymity.
Sadhana Haldar, performing headmistress of the college the place Sudip Haldar was appointed, stated: “Sudip was working as a clerk since 2018. He isn’t coming to highschool.”
In West Midnapore district, Khokon Mahata, brother of minister Srikanta Mahata, the MLA from Salboni, has misplaced the job he bought in 2015. Like the opposite two MLAs, Srikanta Mahata has received from Salboni thrice since 2011, when the TMC first got here to energy in Bengal.
“I used to be not a minister when my brother was appointed. Therefore, the query of utilizing my affect doesn’t come up. He bought the job as a result of he was certified,” Mahata advised the media.
Round a dozen extra Group-C jobs given to both TMC functionaries or their family got here to mild in several components of West Bengal until Sunday afternoon.
Dulal Bar, former TMC legislator from North 24 Parganas district’s Bagdah, who later joined the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Celebration (BJP), additionally got here below focus as his daughter, Baisakhi, misplaced her job.
“My daughter bought the job after she bought married. I can not say something on this,” Bar stated.
In Could 2022, justice Gangopadhyay directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe the appointment of non-teaching employees (Group C and D) and instructing employees by the West Bengal College Service Fee (SSC) and West Bengal Board of Secondary Training between 2014 and 2021. The appointees allegedly paid bribes within the vary of ₹5 lakh to ₹15 lakh to get jobs after failing the choice exams.
The courtroom later directed the state to cancel the appointment of those that bribed their method into service. Consequently, round 4,600 lecturers and Group C and D employees have misplaced their jobs in phases until now.
TMC state common secretary Kunal Ghosh alleged on Sunday that BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari, the chief of the opposition within the legislative meeting, was a part of the job racket. Adhikari joined the BJP in December 2020.
“Of the 842 Group-C employees who misplaced jobs this week, Adhikari was answerable for the appointment of 55, in keeping with the data now we have. Why is the CBI not probing this? Why is Adhikari not being taken into custody?” Ghosh requested.
Adhikari couldn’t be contacted, however BJP nationwide vice-president Dilip Ghosh stated the TMC mustn’t make allegations when its personal persons are being uncovered. “If Kunal Ghosh has any documentary proof in opposition to any BJP chief, he ought to hand it over to the federal businesses,” Dilip Ghosh stated.
The method of terminating the service of lecturers began in June final yr when justice Gangopadhyay cancelled the appointment of West Bengal’s former deputy schooling minister Paresh Adhikari’s daughter, Ankita.
Ankita Adhikari didn’t even seem for the character take a look at, however the unique advantage record was fudged to accommodate undeserving candidates, the state authorities admitted earlier than the courtroom in June 2022.
Because it has been alleged that the roles had been supplied in opposition to hefty bribes, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is conducting a parallel investigation.
The ED arrested schooling minister Partha Chatterjee and his shut aide Arpita Mukherjee on July 23 final yr. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee eliminated Chatterjee from the federal government and in addition suspended him from the TMC. The rip-off came about throughout Chatterjee’s tenure as schooling minister.
TMC legislator and former president of the state main schooling board, Manik Bhattacharya, was arrested by ED on October 11 final yr.