Kolkata, Apr 17 (PTI) The ‘untainted’ teachers of state-run and state-aided schools in West Bengal — whose services were temporarily extended by the Supreme Court on Thursday — expressed dissatisfaction over what they described as mere “short-term relief,” even as Education Minister Bratya Basu urged them not to worry and reaffirmed the state’s support in the ongoing legal battle.

The Supreme Court on Thursday extended till December 31 the services of terminated teachers found untainted by the CBI.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar considered the state’s submissions that the terminations adversely impacted teaching in various state-run and aided schools.

The order came on the pleas of the state government, which moved court after the April 3 verdict. The top court judgment invalidated the appointment of 25,753 teachers and staffers in various schools, calling the entire selection process “vitiated and tainted”.

The SC directed the state government to initiate a fresh recruitment process by May 31 and complete it by December 31.

It also instructed the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) and the state government to file a compliance affidavit detailing the initiation of the recruitment process by the deadline.

Hailing the SC’s order, Education Minister Bratya Basu asked the jobless ‘eligible’ teachers not to worry as the apex court acknowledged the point made by West Bengal Board of Secondary Education that invalidation of jobs of thousands of ‘untainted’ teachers will severely disrupt the academic functioning of state-run and state-aided schools.

The jobless eligible teachers, however, asserted that only permanent reinstatement would bring them justice.

Pankaj Roy, one of the nearly 26,000 teaching and non-teaching staff whose appointments through the 2016 SSC recruitment drive were annulled, told PTI, “With all respect to the Honourable Supreme Court, let’s voice our dissatisfaction over the order which has allowed us to attend classes only till December 31. What happens after that? The SC has asked the state to issue a fresh notification. We’ve already made it clear that we will not sit for fresh exams after clearing the 2016 recruitment test as eligible candidates.” Roy, a political science teacher at a secondary school in North Bengal, had observed a three-day hunger strike last week outside the WBSSC office in Acharya Bhavan, demanding the publication of a list distinguishing ‘tainted’ from ‘untainted’ candidates from the 2016 recruitment batch.

He also urged the WBSSC to clarify to the apex court that eligible teachers should not be dismissed.

“The SC order doesn’t even address the case of non-teaching candidates,” he added.

“This omission, in our view, results from the state government and SSC’s attempt to create division among protesting sacked staff,” he added.

Dhritish Mondal of Jogyo Sikshak Manch (Eligible Teachers’ Platform) echoed the sentiment, saying, “We are not tainted candidates. This is even acknowledged in the SC order. Then why should our services be extended only till December 31? As per service rules, we should serve till we reach the superannuation age of 60. If the WBSSC knows who is tainted and who is not, why can’t they tell the SC clearly?” Mondal emphasised that the teachers, who had qualified through the 2016 recruitment process and served diligently, were unwilling to sit for fresh exams.

“This short-term extension means little after all our hard work and years of service. We will continue our protests until we get justice in the truest sense,” he said.

While 70 members of the Manch launched a sit-in protest in Delhi on April 16, over 100 others have been staging an indefinite demonstration at Esplanade in Kolkata since April 3.

Asked whether the teachers would resume classes from Saturday, the protesters said, “We will decide soon. If we do return to school, it will be solely in the interest of the students, who are suffering.” A member of the managing committee of Bishnupur High School in Bankura district said the institution faced serious academic disruptions after the dismissal of eight teachers.

“With today’s development, we are trying to reach out to the affected teachers and request them to resume classes from Saturday,” the member said.

Stating the government will examine the full content of Thursday’s SC order with the help of legal experts, Basu told reporters, “I will urge the teachers not to worry.” Basu said the CM has already asserted the government will do whatever is required so that deprived, untainted teachers don’t end up jobless.

WBSSC Chairman Siddhartha Majumdar told PTI, “I will not make any comments presently.” The SC bench observed that school education had been severely impacted following mass terminations and acknowledged that new recruitment would require time.

However, the relief was not extended to Group ‘C’ and ‘D’ non-teaching staff. PTI SUS MNB