Kolkata, August 19, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday stayed the publication of the merit list for the recruitment of 12,000 police constables initiated during the previous Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal.
Justice Amrita Sinha, hearing the matter, imposed an interim stay on publication of the merit list until September 30 following a petition alleging irregularities in the recruitment process.
The recruitment notification was issued in 2024, while the written examination was conducted in 2025. The interview process was completed by February 2026, when the Trinamool Congress government was still in office.
The petitioner, Sudipto Chakraborty, alleged that the recruitment process did not comply with the prescribed reservation guidelines for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS).
The recruitment process had already come under legal scrutiny before the West Bengal Assembly elections held earlier this year, in which the Trinamool Congress suffered a major defeat.
The High Court had previously sought the response of the newly elected Bharatiya Janata Party government headed by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on the issue.
The interim order means the merit list cannot be published until the court’s direction is revisited. The next course of action by the state government will be closely watched as the recruitment remains subject to the court proceedings.
Recruitment-related controversies were a recurring issue during the previous Trinamool Congress regime, most notably the cases concerning alleged irregularities in school recruitments.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has recently criticised the previous government, saying he was witnessing the impact of its alleged misgovernance across different sectors.
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