SC seeks ED response on ex-WB minister Partha Chatterjee’s bail plea in recruitment case

PTI, Oct 11, 2024, 5:25 PM IST

The Supreme Court has sought a response from the Enforcement Directorate on a bail plea of former West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee who has been arrested over alleged irregularities in the recruitment of teaching and non-teaching staff in the state’s primary schools.

A bench of justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan issued a notice to the ED On October 1 and sought a reply by October 17.

“Meanwhile, Special CBI Court, which has been notified as a Special Court under Section 43 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, is directed to take up the bail matter of the petitioner on day-to-day basis, and decide the same within 10 days and send a compliance report,” the bench further directed.

Chatterjee moved the top court against an April 30 order of the Calcutta High Court that denied him a bail on the ground that a prima facie case was established against him under the PMLA.

The ED arrested Chatterjee on July 22, 2022 in connection with the alleged irregularities in recruitment of teaching and non-teaching staff in West Bengal government-sponsored and aided primary schools.

The politician and his alleged close aide Arpita Mukherjee were arrested by the ED in connection with its probe into the money trail in the alleged illegal recruitments.

The ED has claimed to have recovered Rs 49.80 crore in cash, apart from jewellery, gold bars from flats owned by Mukherjee, besides documents of properties and a company in joint holdings.

Lawyers representing him had sought bail arguing that the investigation has been completed, and that he more than 70 years old and has multiple ailments. Chatterjee, it was argued, had spent over 21 months in custody.

But, the ED’s counsel called him an influential person and a sitting MLA who could influence witnesses.

Following his arrest, Chatterjee was relieved of his ministerial duties by the Mamata Banerjee government, while the Trinamool Congress had also removed him from all party posts including secretary general.