Sat May 24 04:28:06 UTC 2025: **Summary:**

The Calcutta High Court has ordered police not to take coercive action against protesting teachers in West Bengal accused of violence stemming from demonstrations against the cancellation of 26,000 teaching appointments due to irregularities. The court also directed the teachers to relocate their protest from outside the State Education Department headquarters, allowing 200 members at a time to agitate on a rotational basis. The court emphasized treating the protestors humanely and providing them with shelter from the heat. The Supreme Court simultaneously dismissed a petition from teachers seeking to participate in the new recruitment process.

**News Article:**

**Calcutta High Court Grants Relief to Protesting Teachers, Orders Protest Relocation**

**Kolkata, May 24, 2025** – The Calcutta High Court on Friday issued directives protecting protesting teachers in West Bengal from police action while ordering them to relocate their demonstration. The “Jogya Sikkhok-Sikkhika Adhikar Mancha (2016 SLST),” or Deserving Teachers’ Rights Forum (DTRF), have been protesting the Supreme Court’s upheld cancellation of approximately 26,000 teaching and non-teaching staff appointments over irregularities in the 2016 recruitment process.

Justice Tirthankar Ghosh ordered police to refrain from “coercive steps” against the teachers, particularly in light of recent clashes with law enforcement outside the State Education Department headquarters. The court also instructed the teachers to move their protest to a new, unspecified location. Furthermore, Justice Ghosh stipulated that only 200 protestors at a time could be present on a rotational basis.

Recognizing the harsh summer conditions, the court directed the state government to treat the protestors “with a human face” and provide temporary shelter.

Brindaban Ghosh, a senior leader of the DTRF, confirmed that the police administration has been informed of the change in venue.

In a related development, the Supreme Court dismissed a petition from “tainted” teachers seeking the option to appear in the fresh recruitment process, further complicating the situation for those impacted by the cancelled appointments. The legal battle continues, as teachers struggle to find a resolution to their employment crisis.

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