Mamata Banerjee Urges SSC Protesters to Resume Duties, Assures Legal Action

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday addressed the ongoing protests by School Service Commission (SSC) teachers and staff, urging them to end their demonstrations and return to work. The protests, which have persisted since Monday, stem from the Supreme Court’s April 3 verdict that invalidated the 2016 SSC recruitment process, resulting in the termination of approximately 26,000 teaching and non-teaching jobs across state-run and aided schools in West Bengal.

Speaking at a government event in Midnapore, Banerjee said, “The teachers are sitting outside since yesterday. Why are you sitting in this heat? Please go back and join your duties. I already told you — the Supreme Court had stopped your salaries and cancelled your jobs. But we filed a review petition, and in that, it was said that you will receive your salaries, and the system will ensure the money reaches you. There is no need for anyone to provoke, no need for riots, no need for agitation. As for Group C and D, which were cancelled — let our lawyers consult on that. After discussions with them, we will surely take further steps, and if needed, we will go to the Court again. Trust us and have faith in me, don’t trust those who took away your jobs.”

SSC Protests

The protests erupted after the Supreme Court upheld the Calcutta High Court’s 2022 order on April 3, 2025, which annulled the appointments of 25,752 teachers and non-teaching staff due to alleged widespread irregularities in the 2016 SSC recruitment process. The apex court described the selection process as “vitiated and tainted” due to large-scale manipulations, including manipulated Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) sheets and appointments based on bribes. The ruling led to significant disruptions in state-run schools, prompting affected teachers to stage sit-ins, including a prominent ‘dharna’ outside the SSC office in Kolkata.

The agitating teachers, many of whom claim to have secured their positions through merit, argue that the blanket cancellation unfairly penalises untainted candidates. A section of SSC teachers have now started a demonstration outside the SSC Bhavan in Kolkata, since Monday night, demanding authorities to release of a segregated list of ‘tainted’ and ‘untainted’ teachers. Mamata Banerjee urged them to withdraw their agitation while assuring legal support and other cooperation. “Why would I want people to become jobless under our government. It was us who had moved to the court for the sake of the teachers. There are people who are trying to harm the recruitment process and do politics over it. I urge people to not fall prey to it”, the chief minister added.

The Supreme Court on April 17 while responding to the review petition filed by the state government, held that assistant teacher candidates “untainted” in the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) recruitment process can continue teaching, but mandated the West Bengal government to complete the fresh recruitment process by December 31, this year. The SC bench of Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar had asked the state and WBSSC to “file an affidavit on or before May 31, 2025, inclusive therewith of the advertisement, as well as the schedule… to ensure the completion of the recruitment process by December 31, 2025.” Meanwhile the West Bengal School Service Commission has begun analysing over 20 lakh OMR sheets to differentiate between tainted and untainted candidates, with plans to publish lists of eligible and ineligible candidates by late April, pending legal advice.​