230 exempted category eligible candidates denied jobs by WB government, HC says govt’s action not acceptable

230 exempted category eligible candidates denied jobs by WB government, HC says govt’s action not acceptable

Biswabrata Goswami

KRISHNAGAR, 30 APRIL: When the government of West Bengal under the leadership of the Trinamul supremo Miss Mamata Banerjee boasts of giving employment to the youth, more than 200 young people had suffered extreme harassment to get their jobs in a government department in the recent past.

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The issue pertains to the filling up of the posts of Grade-III sub-inspector under the Food & Supply, department of the government of West Bengal. The panel of successful candidates was duly published in 2014 and steps were taken to fill up 1131 posts as notified in the advertisement published for the aforesaid posts. Letters of appointment of 892 candidates were issued out of 1131, and were subsequently appointed to those posts.

But soon a dispute arose, which centred on 230 candidates, whose appointments were kept in abeyance since the department received several complaints relating to discrepancies, anomalies and non-adherence to the norms and procedures required for the appointment.

Meanwhile, one of the selected candidates filed an application in 2017 before the state administrative tribunal (SAT) challenging the inaction on the part of the authorities in keeping such nomination/appointment in abeyance. The tribunal while disposing of such application on 19 February, 2018, directed the concerned authority to consider the recommendation of the names of the applicants for appointment to such posts and take a decision within 12 weeks from the date of communication of that order.

In compliance to the said direction, the principal secretary, department of Food and Supply, government of West Bengal passed an order on 15 May, 2015 disclosing that complaint was received by the West Bengal staff selection commission pertaining to the genuineness of the candidates as well as the mode and quality of evaluation.

A first information report was also lodged with the New Market Police Station on 15 May, 2018 by the government against the selection of the candidates. The governmental authority was of the view that the “nature of allegation requires a deep investigation in order to unearth the truth as larger public interest is involved and further opined that till the time such investigation is complete, the nomination/ appointment of the candidates be kept in abeyance”.

Ironically, the affected candidates belonged to the “Exempted category” among the applicants which included landlosers by governmental acquisition. The concerned department of the state government however could not complete the so-called inquiry nor was there any sign of finishing the task in near future that held up the appointments for five years.

Furthermore, in order to strengthen their fault the state government filed a writ petition with the Calcutta High Court challenging the SAT order of 19 February, 2018.

Finally, after due hearing from all the concerned parties the Honorable Judges Harish Tandon, and Rabindranath Samanta of the Calcutta High Court in their judgement delivered on 21.04.2022 at Court no.4 ordered “all the applicants were shown as successful in exempted category together with the other candidates who have been benefited with the appointment letters and actually appointed, the action of the authority to withhold the appointment of the 230 candidates shown in the list/panel of the successful candidates under exempted category is not acceptable nor sustainable”.

Mr. S.N. Mookherjee, Learned Advocate General Mr. Sirsanya Bandopadhyay, Ld. Jr. Standing Counsel and others appeared for the Government of West Bengal and Mr. Asim Hati and others appeared for the respondents.

Tags: #ExemptedCategory #DeniedJobs #EligibleCandidates #WestBengalGovernment #HighCourt

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