A bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra was hearing a batch of petitions challenging the Calcutta High Court’s April 22

A Calcutta High Court order cancelling the appointment of over 25,000 assistant teachers and non-teaching staff in West Bengal has been put on hold by the Supreme Court. The court said the Central Bureau of Investigation will continue to look into the matter but there will be no coercive action against candidates or officials.

The High Court had cancelled the appointments, pointing to the irregularities committed during the recruitment. Several Trinamool leaders, including former education minister Partha Chatterjee, and former officials are in jail in connection with the alleged recruitment scam.

The High Court asked the teachers to return their salaries with 12 per cent interest.  The bench — formed on the order of the Supreme Court — also asked the state’s School Service Commission to begin a fresh appointment process.

But the move, which at one stroke made 26,000 teachers jobless, generated immense public anger. On social media, many complained that innocent people were being punished for the misdoings of a few.

Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress, which challenged the High Court order, is hoping to reap the benefits of public mood in the ongoing general election.

During today’s hearing, the top court, though, pointed out that the irregularities spoke of a “systemic fraud”.

“Nothing remains if the faith of the public goes… What remains in the system if their appointments are also maligned? People will lose faith, how do you countenance this?” asked Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, who was leading the three-judge bench.

The Election Commission has ordered microblogging website X to remove an objectionable post by the Karnataka BJP, which the party did not remove even after the state chief electoral officer had ordered to do so earlier.

A first information report (FIR) was already filed over the objectionable post.

“An FIR has already been registered in the matter… However, the post has not been taken down yet,” the Election Commission (EC) in a statement.

The Congress had approached the EC with a complaint against Karnataka BJP chief BY Vijayendra for posting “derogatory” content that could lead to law and order issues.

The video took a swipe at the Congress alleging the Opposition party favours Muslims over backward classes in reservation and fund allocation.

The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee petitioned with police and EC alleging violation of model code of conduct in the video which allegedly showed Congress favouring Muslims over backward classes in reservation and fund allocation.