A special CBI court in Alipore has once again rejected the bail plea of arrested former West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee and extended his judicial custody till December 12 on the request of the agency probing the School Service Commission (SSC) recruitment scam. Claiming that there was no new development in the investigation, Chatterjee’s counsel requested that he be granted bail.
Opposing the plea, the CBI counsel claimed that the investigation is at an initial stage and granting bail at this stage may hamper the investigation.
Chatterjee was first arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on July 23 following the recovery of cash, jewelery and property papers from the flat of his alleged close associate Arpita Mukherjee. The CBI had taken him into custody on September 16 on the orders of the court. Even before this, the bail plea of the former minister has been rejected by both the PMLA and CBI courts.
Chatterjee held the education portfolio between 2014 and 2021 when irregularities were allegedly reported in the recruitment of teaching and non-teaching staff in state government-sponsored and aided schools. The Calcutta High Court ordered a CBI probe into the irregularities and the ED began probing the alleged money transactions involved in the scam.
The senior leader was relieved of his ministerial post by the Mamata Banerjee government following his arrest by the ED. During his arrest, he held several portfolios including Industries and Commerce. The TMC also removed him from all posts in the party, including that of the general secretary.
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