The Calcutta High Court expressed concern on Thursday about the escalating unemployment issue in the country, attributing it to the inefficiency of mechanisms for generating employment, as highlighted in the case of Arnab Roy vs. State of West Bengal.
Justice Shekhar B Saraf, a single judge, observed that the failure of the system to create job opportunities has resulted in young individuals ceasing their job search, leading to an unprecedented peak in youth unemployment.
"The current situation in India reveals a troubling stagnation in the employment structure. The absence of effective mechanisms for generating employment has left a significant portion of our population unemployed. Many individuals, disheartened by the system, have actively stopped seeking jobs, and youth unemployment is at an all-time high," remarked the Court.
The judge further pointed out that instead of encouraging citizens to actively pursue jobs and contribute to the nation, institutions have frustrated the youth by imposing obstacles based on trivial technicalities, thus misusing the discretionary power granted to them.
These observations were made during the hearing of two petitions, one related to the vacancy of a clerk (1 post) and the other concerning two laboratory attendant posts since 2009.
The Court noted that rather than filling the three vacant positions, the authorities had engaged in legal disputes over the matter.
"Instead of making concerted efforts to fill the position, what has transpired is years of legal disputes. To ensure the well-being of our nation's institutions, one must be cautious when applying the relevant recruitment rules to prevent them from becoming instruments of public mischief," opined the single judge.
The Court addressed petitions challenging memos issued by the Additional District Inspector (ADI) of Schools of Purba Medinapur to two schools in July and October 2020. These memos dissolved the panels of both schools, which consisted of candidates for filling vacancies.
The petitioners argued that the schools had postponed the interviews for the recruitment process and had informed the District Inspector (DI) of the School. However, the DI neither approved nor rejected the proposal to postpone the interviews.
Consequently, the ADI issued memos dissolving the panels of the schools.
The petitioners sought appointment on the grounds that they were the first to be empanelled in the said panels.
The Court declared the memo 'bad in law' and quashed it in its judgment. However, it refrained from granting relief (appointment) to the petitioners and instructed the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) to initiate a fresh recruitment process as per the West Bengal School Service Commission (Selection of Persons for Appointment to the post of Non-teaching staff) Rules, 2009.
