SSC recruitment scam: 222 people working without giving exams, says Bag Committee report

An investigation is underway into allegations of ‘corruption’ in SSC group C recruitment in West bengal. The report of retired Justice Ranjit Bag Committee was submitted to the Calcutta High Court today in the Group C recruitment corruption case of SSC. According to the court sources, the report highlighted the shortcomings and corruption in the recruitment process. The report said 381 people were issued letters of recommendation even after the expiry of their term. Out of the 381, 222 names were not on any panel or waiting list. They did not take part in the personality test. Because none of them passed the written test. The recommendation letter was issued with a scanned signature from the SSC office. 

 A total of 11 officials have been named in the report for their alleged involvement in corruption. An FIR can be lodged against 4 people if necessary. The Bag committee recommended a departmental inquiry against 6. The verdict in the case will be announced on May 18. 

The Bag report mentioned the involvement of School Service Commission’s programming officer Samarjit Acharya, Board of Secondary Education president Kalyanmoy Gangopadhyay, School Service Commission Chairman Saumitra Sarkar, School Service Commission Secretary Ashok Kumar Saha, former Chairman of The School Service Commission Subiresh Bhattacharya, Regional Chairman of the Commission Sharmila Mitra, Shubhajit Chattopadhyay, Sheikh Sirajuddin, Mahua Biswas, Chaitali Bhattacharya and board’s technical officer Rajesh Layek in the report. 

According to the report, an FIR can be lodged against Soumitra Sarkar, Ashok Kumar Saha, Kalyanmoy Gangopadhyay, Shanti Prasad Sinha, Samarjit Acharya if necessary. Apart from this, the Bag Committee has recommended a departmental inquiry against Subiresh Bhattacharya, Chaitali Bhattacharya, Sharmila Mitra, Mahua Biswas, Shubhajit Chattopadhyay and Sheikh Sirajuddin. 

What’s in the report?

The report claims that Shanti Prasad Sinha used to give a false recommendation letter to Kalyanmoy Gangopadhyay. Then Kalyanmoy Gangopadhyay used to prepare the appointment letter with technical officer Rajesh Layek on the basis of that recommendation letter. At the same time, the report claimed that the advisory committee, which was formed on the basis of the approval of Partha Chattopadhyay, was illegal. 

In 2016, the process of recruiting Group C staff through SSC began in government and government-aided schools in the state. The term of the concerned panel expired on May 18, 2019. After that, some job seekers filed a case in the Calcutta High Court on multiple charges such as appointment from the expired panel, getting jobs for the ineligible ones as compared to the eligible ones. Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay had earlier ordered a CBI probe into the recruitment corruption case. He was stayed by a division bench of Justice Subrata Talukdar. The case was heard today on that bench. 

Meanwhile, SSC is making changes in the teacher’s recritment rule to prevent corruption. It is known that this time the exam for the recruitment of teachers will be held only in OMR Sheet. In addition, teacher recruitment will be returned to the interview.