Is Partha Chatterjee Seeking Bail in the Bengal School Job Scandal?

Synopsis
Partha Chatterjee, the former West Bengal education minister, has filed a new bail plea in the Calcutta High Court linked to the infamous cash-for-school job scandal. As investigations by the CBI and ED continue, what does this mean for Chatterjee and the ongoing trials? Stay tuned for the latest developments in this high-profile case.
Key Takeaways
- Partha Chatterjee files a new bail petition in the Calcutta High Court.
- The CBI and ED are investigating the cash-for-school job scandal.
- Chatterjee has been in custody since July 2022.
- His son-in-law has turned approver against him.
- Trial processes are set to begin following necessary clearances from the government.
Kolkata, May 14 (NationPress) Former West Bengal education minister and ex-Trinamool Congress secretary general Partha Chatterjee has submitted a new bail application to the Calcutta High Court regarding the extensive cash-for-school job scandal. The court is expected to hear this case on May 19. This recent bail plea arrives as a similar request is under consideration at the Supreme Court’s division bench, led by Justice Surya Kant and Justice N. Kotiswar Singh.
Last week, during proceedings, the Supreme Court directed the West Bengal government to provide necessary clearances within two weeks, paving the way for the trial against Chatterjee and other state officials implicated in the school job cases initiated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) are simultaneously investigating the school job issues, with trials for the cases registered by the ED already underway in a special court for the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in Kolkata.
Chatterjee was initially taken into custody by ED officials at his South Kolkata residence in July 2022, and he has remained incarcerated since. The CBI subsequently also arrested him.
During this operation, ED agents apprehended his close associate, Arpita Mukherjee, after discovering a substantial amount of cash and gold at her residences, believed to be the proceeds from the school job scandal.
Currently, Mukherjee is out on bail.
Both the ED and CBI have identified Chatterjee as the principal orchestrator in their respective chargesheets.
Recently, his son-in-law, Kalyanmoy Bhattacharya, agreed to testify against him, providing a confidential statement in court.
As a result, Bhattacharya's name was excluded from the list of accused in the ED chargesheet.