For the first time, close to 100 applications have been cancelled by the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) for the upcoming Second State Level Selection Test (SLST), 2025.

Out of nearly 5.8 lakh provisional admit cards released, the Board cancelled the applications of terminated teachers identified as “tainted” from the 2016 batch. On April 3, the Supreme Court cancelled the appointments of nearly 26,000 teachers and non-teaching staff recruited through the 2016 process. Of these, 17,206 teachers were allowed to remain in service until December 31, 2025. The remaining 1,803 were deemed “tainted”.

The examination is scheduled for September 7 (Classes 9 and 10) and September 14 (Classes 11 and 12) for filling 35,726 assistant teacher posts in state-aided and sponsored schools, following Supreme Court orders.

According to sources, the close to 100 teachers, identified as “tainted,” discovered their applications had been summarily rejected when trying to download admit cards. WBSSC officials said that the rejections were in compliance with court orders.

Senior officials from the state School Education department said rejecting candidates at the admit card stage has never happened before in the state’s recruitment drives.

In its August 14 notification, the WBSSC stated: “Candidates whose applications have been rejected will be able to view the reason for such rejection.” The Commission also clarified that the admit cards issued were purely provisional and “do not imply acceptance of eligibility.” Verification of candidates’ eligibility will continue at later stages, including physical/online checks and counselling, if candidates qualify.

On July 10, a Division Bench of Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Smita Das De upheld the single bench order directing the WBSSC to debar “tainted” candidates from the ongoing fresh recruitment process. Earlier, on July 7, Justice Sougata Bhattacharya had not only debarred “tainted” candidates but also directed that any such application should be deemed cancelled.