Trouble looming for govt over Cabinet nod to creating extra jobs in schools: Bengal BJP chief

Kolkata  (The Uttam Hindu): Trinamool Congress and the West Bengal government are heading for bigger trouble as the Supreme Court will soon start hearing the matter related to the CBI probe into the Cabinet decision approving creation of supernumerary posts in schools.

The extra posts in schools were allegedly created to accommodate those appointed illegally against payment of money.

In April 2024, a three-judge Bench of the apex court headed by erstwhile Chief Justice of India, DY Chandrachud, stayed an earlier order by the Calcutta High Court directing the CBI to undertake further investigations into the approval for supernumerary posts.

In that order, the Calcutta High Court also observed that the CBI, if necessary, will undertake custodial interrogation of people involved in the matter.

While the stay by the apex court in April 2024 came as an interim relief for the state Cabinet, the matter will again come up for hearing at the apex court on April 8.

“From April 8, another matter will come up for hearing. That is regarding the Cabinet approval for the creation of supernumerary posts in schools, the CBI probe on which was earlier stayed by the apex court.

“I have full faith in the Indian judicial system. I am sure that the court will punish those who had entertained such massive corruption,” BJP President in West Bengal and Union Minister of state, Dr Sukanta Majumdar, told newspersons on Friday.

He claimed that it was unimaginable that a state Cabinet approved the creation of extra posts to protect the interests of those who got jobs illegally by paying money.

“When a state Cabinet can take such a decision, the head of the Cabinet cannot surely deny responsibility for it. Probably Mamata Banerjee will be the second Chief Minister of the country after Om Prakash Chautala who will be behind bars because of an education scam,” Majumdar said.

In fact, the Calcutta High Court, while ordering the CBI probe into the matter earlier, also questioned the sanctity of the decision approving the creation of supernumerary posts.

Ever since information in the matter surfaced, the state government and the ruling party have come under scathing attacks from Opposition parties who claimed that the decision in the matter was not to accommodate genuine candidates but to protect the jobs of tainted ones.