The Calcutta High Court on Friday ordered the cancellation of jobs of a large number of non-trained primary teachers, which may amount to above 30,000, in West Bengal government-sponsored and -aided schools, holding that due procedure was not followed in the recruitment process.

The bench headed by Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay directed that these primary teachers will not be able to work as regular teachers as the due procedure was not followed in the appointments.

Further, the court, directed that staff can continue to work for the next four months, but will receive the salary of para teachers.

Petitioners, who were job aspirants, had moved the high court claiming irregularities in the recruitment process for around 42,500 primary teachers.

The court found that improper methods were adopted to recruit a large number of them, who are also untrained, in the said process for primary teachers in 2016 on the basis of the Teachers Eligibility Test (TET) of 2014.

The court also directed that fresh recruitment from the 2014 TET candidates has to start within three months.

Tarunjyoti Tiwari, counsel for petitioner had claimed that due reservations for trained and untrained candidates were not followed in the appointment process.