Supreme Court Intervenes in Calcutta High Court's Age-Relaxation Ruling
The Supreme Court of India issued a stay order on Monday. This action halted a previous decision from the Calcutta High Court. The High Court had granted age-relaxation benefits to a waitlisted candidate. This candidate was part of the 2016 school service commission recruitment process for assistant teachers in classes 9 to 12.
Details of the Calcutta High Court's Original Order
Justice Amrita Sinha of the Calcutta High Court passed an order in December 2025. This order permitted a specific waitlisted and unappointed candidate from the 2016 SSC recruitment to participate in the 2025 selection process. The candidate received permission to appear with age relaxation.
The High Court also issued additional directives. It ordered that the candidate's marks from the interview and lecture demonstration be kept in a sealed cover. Furthermore, the court stated a clear condition. If the candidate scored higher than the last qualified candidate, his case would then be considered for further steps.
The West Bengal School Service Commission's Challenge
The West Bengal School Service Commission decided to challenge this High Court order. They brought their appeal directly to the Supreme Court. A bench comprising Justices Sanjay Kumar and K Vinod Chandran heard the case. This bench ultimately passed the order to stay the High Court's decision.
Arguments Presented Before the Supreme Court
Senior advocate Kalyan Banerjee represented the School Service Commission before the apex court. Banerjee presented a key argument to the justices. He contended that the Calcutta High Court had misinterpreted earlier Supreme Court orders.
Banerjee clarified the scope of those previous rulings. He argued they were specifically limited to persons who had actually been appointed. Furthermore, they applied only to those individuals who were not found to be specifically tainted in the recruitment process. His central point was clear. These earlier Supreme Court orders, in his view, were not applicable to candidates who were never appointed in the first place.
The Supreme Court's stay order now puts the High Court's directive on hold. The legal proceedings regarding this 2016 SSC recruitment case will continue under the Supreme Court's purview.
