Kolkata, Nov 29 : The West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) has identified as many as 269 "tainted" teachers from the commission's panel for 2016 who not only appeared for the fresh recruitment of primary teachers but also qualified for the interview.

In April this year, a division bench of the Supreme Court cancelled WBSSC's entire panel for 2016 and barred the "tainted" teachers, who were proved beyond doubt of securing teaching jobs in state-run schools by paying money, from participating in the fresh recruitment process.

A petition was filed at the Calcutta High Court recently alleging that some "tainted" teachers not only participated in the written examination for fresh recruitment of higher secondary teachers in September this year but also qualified for the interview.

These "tainted" teachers, WBSSC sources said, got interview-qualified by taking advantage of the new weightage criterion, carrying 10 marks for past teaching experience.

The commission, thereafter, reviewed the background of the interview-qualified candidate and identified the 269 "tainted" teachers from the 2016 panel who qualified for the interview.

The commission had rejected the candidature of these 269 "tainted" teachers for the fresh recruitment process.

However, WBSSC sources said that even this list, if not final, and in the future, if more such interview-qualified "tainted" teachers are identified, their candidatures would also be cancelled.

On Friday, while hearing on the petition filed in the matter, Calcutta High Court's single-judge bench of Justice Amrita Sinha questioned the basis on which WBSSC determined the "untainted" teachers from the commission's 2016 panel, which would be deemed eligible for participation in the fresh recruitment of secondary and higher secondary teachers this year.

Justice Sinha raised the critical question on the basis on which WBSSC will determine which candidates will be eligible for the 10-mark weightage criterion for past teaching experience.

She also said that, apparently, it seemed that several eligible candidates were deprived of participating in the fresh recruitment process because of new rules introduced in the fresh recruitment process.

However, her bench did not give any specific direction on the matter.

The next date of hearing will be on December 1, when the counsels of the state government and WBSSC will present their arguments in the matter.

/IANS