In the Light of the Kolkata High Court Judgment: An appeal to the Supreme Court to Reconsider Tripura’s 10,232 Teachers Case
Jayanta Debnath
December 9, 2025
The case of Tripura’s 10,232 retrenched
teachers is not just a legal matter, it concerns the survival and dignity of
thousands of families. The recent judgment of the Calcutta High Court in the
West Bengal teachers recruitment case has introduced an important judicial
perspective. Despite confirmed allegations of corruption, manipulation of OMR
sheets, illegal recommendations, and rank tampering, the Court allowed
thousands of teachers to continue in service on humanitarian grounds.
This raises a fundamental question:Why was
the same humanitarian consideration not extended to Tripura’s 10,232 teachers,
who and the government were never
accused of corruption?
In the interests of justice, equity, and
constitutional fairness, there is now a compelling case for the Supreme Court
of India to reconsider Tripura’s matter suo motu, guided by the humanitarian
approach reflected in the Calcutta High Court judgment. The truth about the
Original Tripura Judgment is that No Teachers Names, No Mention of 10,323 was
made in it.
The 2014 Tripura High Court judgment
held:> “The entire recruitment process stands vitiated and is hereby
quashed.”Notably, the number of recruited teachers was never mentioned and No
individual names were cited. The term 10,323 did not appear anywhere in the
judgment. The Court examined alleged irregularities in the recruitment process,
not misconduct by any teacher. The eventual number of teachers who would lose
employment en masse was an administrative consequence, not a judicial
pronouncement. In fact the original high court judgment had categorically
stated in Para-127 that the order would have ‘prospective effect’ and in the
instant case only teachers-209 at most-whose jobs had been challenged on ground
of recruitment rules, would stand terminated.
The figure 10,323 became popular only through
media references, later government decisions, and public discussions, not
through the Court’s findings. What were the allegations in Tripura’s Case? No
Corruption, only Procedural Irregularities. The original case involved issues
such as: ambiguity in awarding interview marks, procedural lapses in selection,
non-compliance with recruitment rules etc.
Notably, no allegations of bribery, fake
certificates, or corruption were made. The teachers themselves were not accused
of wrongdoing in case of Tripura’s 10323 teachers recruitment process. The
Supreme Court in 2017 acknowledged this explicitly saying that the teachers
cannot be blamed personally. Yet, despite this categorical observation, the
teachers not only lost their jobs, they were also directed to pay costs. Why
was humanitarian consideration denied in Tripura teachers retrenchment case?
When the teachers sought relief under Article 21 (Right to Livelihood), the
Tripura High Court stated: Humanitarian grounds cannot override an illegal
selection process.
The question today is unavoidable: If
humanitarian principles cannot override procedural irregularities, how could
they protect teachers in West Bengal even in the face of proven corruption?
Therefore, thousands of affected families in
Tripura continue to ask: Why does justice differ from state to state? In West
Bengal, the recruitment case involved CBI and ED findings confirming corruption.
Money for jobs scams, fake OMR sheets, manipulated ranks, Illegal
recommendations was also proved. Yet the Calcutta High Court held: Considering
humanitarian grounds, teachers may continue in service. This allowed 32,000
teachers in West Bengal to remain employed, even while criminal investigations
continue. But in Tripura No corruption was proved, Teachers declared personally
innocent, Administrative faults alone were identified. Yet humanitarian grounds
were completely rejected, and thousands were removed from service.
This disparity directly challenges Article 14
of the Constitution: Right to Equality.Why a Suo Motu Review by the Supreme Court
is Necessary ? When two recruitment disputes receive drastically different
judicial outcomes, despite Tripura’s case being far less severe, the principle
of equal protection of law appears compromised.
Therefore, in the interest of justice,
constitutional morality, and human dignity, the Supreme Court of India should
reconsider Tripura’s 10,232 teachers’ case suo motu. Justice must not only be
delivered, it must be delivered equally and seen to be so. In West Bengal,
teachers facing allegations of corruption continue in service out of
humanitarian concern. In Tripura, where there were no corruption charges at
all, thousands of innocent teachers lost their livelihoods.
This contradiction is too serious and too
unjust to ignore. A compassionate, balanced, and equitable judicial
reconsideration is not merely desirable, it is essential. The nation now looks
to the Supreme Court of India to uphold the true spirit of justice.
(Writer:
Jayanta Debnath is a Senior Journalist &
Editor, Tripurainfo.com)
(Tripurainfo)
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