Calcutta HC denies relief to ex-Bengal minister Sujit Bose arrested by ED
Synopsis
The Calcutta High Court's vacation bench refused to grant any relief to former Bengal Fire Services Minister Sujit Bose, arrested by the ED over alleged cash-for-jobs in South Dum Dum Municipality. With ₹3.3 crore in suspicious bank transfers — including earnings from a restaurant that was shut during Covid lockdown — the financial trail the ED has laid out makes this one of the more striking money-laundering angles in Bengal's municipalities recruitment scam.
Key Takeaways
The Calcutta High Court on 29 May refused interim relief to former minister Sujit Bose , directing his petition to a regular bench after summer vacation.
Justice Shampa Dutta Paul ordered the ED to submit a detailed arrest report and Bose's counsel to file a comprehensive affidavit.
Bose was arrested on 11 May after a 10-hour ED interrogation, seven days after West Bengal Assembly election results.
He allegedly recommended 150 ineligible candidates for posts in South Dum Dum Municipality in exchange for cash.
The ED flagged ₹1.1 crore transferred to Bose's restaurant during the 2020 Covid lockdown and ₹2.2 crore to his personal account as allegedly fictitious transactions.
The Calcutta High Court on Friday, 29 May declined to entertain a petition filed by former West Bengal Fire Services Minister Sujit Bose, who had challenged his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the multi-crore municipalities recruitment irregularities case. The vacation bench ruled that the matter must await a regular bench hearing after the court's summer recess.
What Happened in Court
Since the Calcutta High Court is currently in summer vacation, Bose's counsel moved the petition on Thursday before the single-judge vacation bench of Justice Shampa Dutta Paul. The matter came up for hearing on Friday afternoon. At the close of proceedings, Justice Dutta Paul held that the petition should be placed before a regular bench once the vacation concludes, and declined to grant any interim relief to the former minister.
She also directed the ED to file a detailed report on the circumstances of Bose's arrest, and instructed Bose's counsel to submit a comprehensive affidavit laying out the legal arguments before the next date of hearing.
The Defence's Argument
Bose's counsel contended that his client was not formally named as an accused in the municipalities recruitment irregularities case and therefore the ED's arrest was legally untenable. The argument was noted by the court but did not persuade Justice Dutta Paul to intervene at this stage, given that a regular bench would be better placed to adjudicate the substantive challenge.
Background: The Arrest and Allegations
Bose, a three-time Trinamool Congress (TMC) legislator from the Bidhannagar Assembly constituency in North 24 Parganas district, was arrested by ED officials on the night of 11 May — seven days after the Assembly election results were declared on 4 May — following a marathon interrogation lasting approximately 10 hours. He was defeated in the recently concluded Assembly elections and is currently in ED custody.
The central allegation against Bose is that he allegedly recommended as many as 150 ineligible candidates for various posts in the South Dum Dum Municipality in North 24 Parganas in exchange for cash payments. According to ED investigators, he earned hefty sums through these alleged recommendations.
Financial Irregularities Cited by ED
Prior to the arrest, ED officials conducted raids and search operations at Bose's offices and residence, and examined bank accounts of the former minister and his family members, reportedly tracing allegedly fictitious transactions. The agency also flagged a striking anomaly: a restaurant owned by Bose allegedly recorded earnings of crores of rupees during the Covid-19 lockdown phase of 2020, when the outlet was completely shut. According to ED counsel before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Kolkata, ₹1.1 crore was transferred to the restaurant's account during the lockdown period, and an additional ₹2.2 crore was transferred to Bose's personal account.
What Happens Next
The case will now be listed before a regular bench of the Calcutta High Court after the summer vacation ends. Both the ED's detailed report and the defence's affidavit are expected to shape the contours of the substantive hearing. With Bose remaining in ED custody in the interim, the outcome of that hearing will be closely watched as the municipalities recruitment scam probe continues to widen in West Bengal.
Point of View
But the substance of the ED's case is anything but. A restaurant earning crores during a period when it was verifiably closed is the kind of paper trail that is difficult to explain away, and it signals that the ED's financial reconstruction goes beyond the recruitment angle. Bose's arrest coming exactly seven days after election results — and after a decade-long tenure as a TMC legislator — raises legitimate questions about the timing, but the strength of the defence will ultimately rest on whether it can rebut the transaction data, not the optics. The Bengal municipalities scam has already ensnared several figures; how the regular bench rules on the legality of this arrest will set a precedent for the cases queued behind it.
NationPress
6 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did the Calcutta High Court refuse relief to Sujit Bose?
The vacation bench of Justice Shampa Dutta Paul declined to grant interim relief because the court is in summer recess and held that a matter of this complexity should be heard by a regular bench after the vacation ends. No ruling was made on the merits of Bose's challenge to his arrest.
What is the municipalities recruitment irregularities case?
It is a multi-crore scam involving alleged cash-for-jobs in municipal bodies across West Bengal. Sujit Bose is specifically accused of recommending 150 ineligible candidates for posts in South Dum Dum Municipality in North 24 Parganas in exchange for cash payments.
When was Sujit Bose arrested and what are the key financial allegations?
Bose was arrested on 11 May 2025 after a 10-hour ED interrogation. The agency alleges fictitious bank transactions, including ₹1.1 crore transferred to his restaurant's account during the 2020 Covid lockdown — when the outlet was closed — and ₹2.2 crore transferred to his personal account.
What happens next in the Sujit Bose case?
The case will be listed before a regular bench of the Calcutta High Court once the summer vacation concludes. The ED must submit a detailed arrest report and Bose's counsel must file a comprehensive affidavit before that hearing. Bose remains in ED custody in the interim.
