Overview

• The Calcutta High Court's division bench upheld the stay on supernumerary teacher recruitments, originally imposed by Justice Biswajit Basu in November 2022.
• Justices Soumen Sen and Smita Das ruled that the stay could not be lifted while the case remains pending before the single-judge bench, with the next hearing set for June 18, 2025.
• Protests by aspiring teachers outside senior advocate Bikas Ranjan Bhattacharya's chambers have led to a suo motu contempt-of-court case against demonstrators and alleged organizers.
• A special three-judge bench is currently hearing the contempt case, which includes allegations of derogatory remarks made against Justice Basu during the protests.
• The prolonged legal battle stems from systemic fraud in the 2016 WBSSC recruitment process, which invalidated over 25,000 appointments and continues to delay teacher hiring in West Bengal.