Bengal recruitment scam: CBI court extends Partha Chatterjee’s judicial custody
The CBI court extended former West Bengal education minister Partha Chatterjee’s judicial custody by 14 days in the school recruitment scam case
A special CBI court in Kolkata on Monday extended the judicial custody of former West Bengal education minister Partha Chatterjee by 14 days in the school recruitment scam case.
Chatterjee was physically produced in the special CBI court at Alipore in the morning in connection with the federal agency’s probe into the alleged multi-crore recruitment scam in government schools in West Bengal.
Later in the day, he was virtually produced in the Bankshal court in connection with the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) money laundering probe in the same scam.
Even though the Calcutta high court had ordered the CBI to probe the West Bengal school recruitment scam earlier this year, the ED later initiated a case to probe the money laundering.
ED arrested Chatterjee on July 23 along with his close aide Arpita Mukherjee. The federal agency had also recovered cash around ₹50 crore from two flats of Mukherjee. In September the CBI took custody of Chatterjee.
The ruling Trinamool Congress later suspended the veteran leader and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee sacked him from the cabinet.
Chatterje, however, told the media on Monday: “Everyone stay well. I am still with the (TMC) party. I am 100% with the party.”
This came days after TMC MP Sougata Roy said: “Partha Chatterjee’s case was clear as a large amount of cash was recovered from his associate’s residence. Therefore, the party has taken strict action against him. But that was not the case for Anubrata Mondal or TMC MLA Manik Bhattacharya, because, so far, there are only corruption charges against them that are yet to be proven.”
Chatterjee’s lawyer moved a bail plea both in the special CBI court and in the Bankshal court. While the CBI court rejected his bail plea, the Bankshal court reserved the order till reports last came in.
“Chatterjee during the virtual hearing pleaded that he was not a thief and that he should be allowed to live,” said a senior lawyer present in the courtroom.
ED opposed his bail plea saying that he was a former minister and if given bail could influence the investigation. The agency also said that several persons were involved in the scam and investigation was still going on. Chatterjee’s close aide Arpita Mukherjee was also produced virtually.
Some of the top former School Service Commission (SSC) officials, who were arrested by CBI, were also produced in the court on Monday. They were also sent to 14 days judicial custody.