🔍 The West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) recruitment scam has rocked the state's education system to its core. What started in 2016 as a hopeful hiring process turned into a deep swamp of corruption, fake merit lists, and political arrests. Let’s dive into this explosive scandal that led to the cancellation of over 25,000 job appointments—one of the largest recruitment frauds in India’s recent history.

📚 The Rotten Roots: Background of the Scam

In 2016, the SSC launched a massive recruitment drive for assistant teachers (classes 9-12) and Group C/D non-teaching staff. But soon after, murky irregularities floated to the surface:

🚫 Candidates with lower scores mysteriously climbed the merit list
📝 Appointment letters were handed to some who weren’t even on the list!
🧾 Manipulated OMR sheets hinted at systemic tampering

A perfect setup for a political and bureaucratic earthquake! 🌪️

⏳ Timeline of Turmoil: From Hope to Havoc

📅 2016 – SSC Recruitment begins
⚖️ Nov 2021 – Calcutta High Court orders CBI investigation into the process
📢 May 2022 – Ex-TMC MLA Upendra Nath Biswas sounds the alarm on Facebook
🚨 July 23, 2022 – Partha Chatterjee (Minister of Education) and Arpita Mukherjee arrested by ED
💰 ₹49.8 crore in cash + ₹5 crore in gold seized from Arpita's properties!

🔗 Aug 10, 2022 – CBI arrests Shanti Prasad Sinha (SSC advisor) & Ashok Saha (SSC Secretary)
📚 Sep 15-19, 2022 – CBI nabs Kalyanmoy Gangopadhyay & Subiresh Bhattacharya
👮 Oct 11, 2022 – ED arrests TMC MLA Manik Bhattacharya

⚖️ April 22, 2024 – Calcutta High Court cancels 25,753 jobs, cites OMR fraud
🏛️ April 3, 2025 – Supreme Court upholds verdict, orders fresh recruitment in 3 months
🚫 April 8, 2025 – Supreme Court halts CBI probe into supernumerary posts, a brief relief to the state government

🕵️‍♂️ Hall of Shame: Key Figures Behind Bars

• Partha Chatterjee – Education Minister turned kingpin. His arrest led to the money trail 🪙

• Arpita Mukherjee – Alleged close aide, custodian of the scandalous stash

• Shanti Prasad Sinha – SSC advisory head, held for his pivotal role in the manipulation

• Ashok Saha – SSC Secretary, interrogated and arrested

• Kalyanmoy Gangopadhyay – WBBSE Chairman, picked up after multiple CBI rounds

• Subiresh Bhattacharya – Ex-SSC Chairman & NBU Vice Chancellor, held for non-cooperation

• Manik Bhattacharya – TMC MLA & Primary Board ex-chief, arrested by ED

⚖️ Courtroom Drama: Verdicts that Shook Bengal

Calcutta High Court
📌 April 22, 2024 – Invalidated all 25,753 appointments
📌 OMR tampering, illegal quotas, and backdoor entries cited
📌 Ordered a CBI deep-dive into the SSC hiring mafia

Supreme Court of India
📌 April 3, 2025 – Upholds HC's ruling
📌 Orders the state to relaunch the entire recruitment
📌 Emphasizes a clean and transparent process for future hiring
📌 April 8, 2025 – Provides a temporary shield to the state by cancelling CBI probe into supernumerary roles

📣 Social Media Buzz

🔗 #SSCScamExposed
🔗 #JusticeForDeservingCandidates
🔗 #ParthaGoldScam
🔗 #CBIvsCorruption
🔗 #EducationLoot
🔗 #DiceInstitute
🔗 #SupremeVerdict
🔗 #BengalRecruitmentScam
🔗 #OMRTampering
🔗 #EDRaidsUnmasked

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📸 Image Credit: News Agencies, ED/CBI Files