Kolkata, May 18 (IANS): Amid row over irregularities in recruitment in the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC), its chairman Siddharta Majumdar on Wednesday resigned from his position.

His resignation was forwarded to the state education secretary, Manish Jain on Wednesday evening at a time when the former state education minister and the Trinamool Congress secretary general, Partha Chatterjee was facing the grilling of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officials pertaining to the recruitment scam.

Majumdar's sudden resignation on Wednesday evening became significant on two counts. His resignation has come just a day after he appeared at Calcutta High Court in a case pertaining to the illegal appointment of West Bengal minister of state for education, Paresh Chandra Adhikari's daughter, Ankita Adhikari as a higher-secondary political science teacher in a state-run school.

It was alleged that Ankita Adhikari was appointed even without qualifying in the merit list and appearing for the personality test.

Secondly, his resignation has come just within four months after he assumed the chair.

Majumdar, an assistant professor of Kolkata-based City College, was appointed as the WBSSC chairman in January this year by the current West Bengal Education Minister, Bratya Basu.

Although Majumdar refused to speak to the media on this issue, state education department sources confirmed his resignation.

Sources also said that following the massive controversies over the WBSSC recruitment scams, the state education department might now place an Indian Administrative Service officer in the chair of WBSSC chairman.