A senior official announced today, Thursday, April 25, that the West Bengal government would provide salaries for April to 25,753 teachers and non-teaching staff in state government-sponsored and aided schools, reported PTI.
These individuals had their appointments cancelled by a Calcutta High Court order.
The official further added that the state government is currently challenging the order in the Supreme Court. It is also considering the option of continuing to pay salaries to the teachers and non-teaching staff until the apex court delivers its verdict.
"Since they have worked for almost the entire April, we have decided to pay their salaries for the month," the official told PTI.
High court orders employees to return payments received
The Calcutta High Court on Monday, April 22 ordered the cancellation of appointments of 25,753 teachers and non-teaching staff made through the recruitment process of State Level Selection Test-2016 (SLST) in West Bengal government-sponsored and aided schools, declaring the selection process as "null and void".
The high court substantiated its judgment by saying that those appointed outside the available vacancies as well as those who secured appointments despite submitting blank Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) sheets, must return all payments and benefits received, along with 12 per cent annual interest, within a duration of four weeks.