Facing Protests, Bengal CM Offers Relief And Plans Review Petition For Group C And D Staff Fired After SC Ruling

(MENAFN- Live Mint) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday announced financial assistance for the protesting Group C and D non-teaching staff whose appointments were recently cancelled by the Supreme Cour . She assured them that her government would soon file a review petition in the apex court to seek relief, alongside a similar plea for the affected teachers, reported the PTI.

“We will go for a review petition for the teachers as well as for the Group C and D staff in the top court. We are seeking legal advice in this case,” Banerjee said.

The Chief Minister emphasized that she had not yet received any official list separating 'tainted' and 'untainted' teachers and was thus unable to comment on the categorization. However, she made it clear that immediate support measures would be provided to the affected workers.

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Announcing interim financial relief, Banerjee said,“Group C employees would receive Rs. 25,000 and Group D employees Rs. 30,000, pending the outcome of the review petition .”

“Till there is a decision on the review petition, we will provide this support. See if they agree to it,” she said while addressing the concerns of the agitating workers.

Banerjee further assured that if the Supreme Court rejects the review plea, her government would explore alternative ways to support those affected.“If the court rejects our plea, then we will think about an alternative. For now, since you are not receiving any salary, we can support you through our social security schemes,” she added.

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She also mentioned that the state government is consulting top legal experts to ensure that teachers do not lose their jobs and do not have to reappear for recruitment examinations.

The controversy stems from the Supreme Court's decision on April 3 to scrap the entire 2016 recruitment panel for teachers and non-teaching staff in state-aided schools due to large-scale irregularities in the appointment process. As many as 25,753 individuals were impacted by the decision.

While the court allowed“untainted” teachers to continue in service until December 31 this year, the relief was not extended to the Group C and D non-teaching staff, leaving them without jobs and salaries.

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Facing mounting protests and political pressure, Banerjee's latest move aims to calm the unrest and reassure the affected employees that the government is actively working on legal remedies and interim support solutions.

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