In a major development, the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) has released a list of 1,804 tainted teachers from the 2016 State Level Selection Test (SLST), which was uploaded on the commission’s website at 8 pm on Saturday. The move was in compliance with the Supreme Court’s order of August 28, 2025, which directed the commission to publish the list within a week. The tainted candidates have been barred from appearing in future recruitment exams, while the scam has created a stir in political and educational circles. Details of the scam The West Bengal school job scam is linked to the 2016 SLST, where candidates manipulated OMR sheets and increased their ranks with the help of influential people. The Supreme Court’s April 3, 2025 verdict cancelled 25,753 appointments, of which 5,303 were found tainted, including 1,804 teachers. The remaining 15,803 teachers were declared ‘clean’. WBSSC Chairman Siddharth Majumdar said that ‘tainted candidates will not be admitted to the new SLST exams to be held on September 7 and 14, 2025, and transparency will be ensured.’ The list includes the names, roll numbers, and serial numbers of the candidates in alphabetical order. The commission announced that the tainted list of non-teaching staff of Groups C and D will also be uploaded soon. However, Union Minister of State for Education Sukanta Majumdar slammed the state government and the WBSSC, saying that “not releasing the list for more than two years and uploading it late on Saturday shows the incompetence of the state agency.” She alleged that “this scam happened with the connivance of TMC leaders, which affected thousands of qualified teachers.” Political reaction TMC Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that “we are following the court orders and trying to get justice for the victims.” On the other hand, the BJP called it evidence of “TMC corruption.” BJP leader Pradeep Bhandari said that “this scam is a manifestation of the destruction of the education system of West Bengal.” The Congress also called it “playing with the future of the youth.” Background The scam reflects the growing problems of corruption in the education system of West Bengal. Since 2016, the School Service Commission has been accused of a lack of transparency. 2019 Questions had also been raised regarding the shortage of teachers in Urdu medium schools, and now the release of this list is leading to a debate on the possibilities of reinstating the affected teachers. References The Hindu, India Today, Express Urdu, The Wire Urdu, Geo News Urdu, X Post