Supreme Court to Deliver Ruling Tomorrow on Partha Chatterjee's Bail Application in Bengal School Jobs Scandal
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New Delhi, Dec 12 (NationPress) The Supreme Court is poised to issue its ruling on Friday regarding a petition submitted by former West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee requesting bail in relation to the money laundering investigation associated with the alleged cash-for-school-job scam.
According to the causelist available on the apex court's website, a bench led by Justice Surya Kant will announce its decision on December 13.
Last week, the bench, which also included Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, reserved its judgment after hearing the oral arguments presented by senior advocate Mukul Rohtagi, who represented Partha Chatterjee, and Additional Solicitor General (ASG) S.V. Raju, who represented the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
Rohtagi argued that the former minister has been in custody for more than two years and that there is little chance of the trial concluding soon. The senior lawyer, aided by advocate Misha Rohtagi, noted that other co-accused individuals have been granted bail in the money laundering case.
On the other hand, the ED opposed the bail request, asserting that Partha Chatterjee might attempt to influence witnesses and tamper with evidence if released.
During a prior hearing, the top court expressed concern over the delays in initiating the trial and hinted at possibly granting relief to Chatterjee.
Questioning the ED on how long they intend to keep Chatterjee incarcerated, the Justice Kant-led bench inquired: "How long can we keep him behind bars? More than 2 years have elapsed. If he is ultimately not convicted, what happens then?"
The bench also noted the low conviction rate in cases filed by the ED under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
In response, the ED highlighted serious corruption allegations against the former minister, claiming that jobs were offered to unqualified candidates in exchange for bribes.
The federal anti-money laundering agency maintained that Chatterjee is in custody due to the corruption case and that his release on bail could lead to witness intimidation.
The Supreme Court issued a notice to the ED on October 1, requesting a response within two weeks.
Previously, the Calcutta High Court had denied Chatterjee's bail request.
After being repeatedly denied bail in lower courts, Chatterjee appealed to the high court, arguing that he had no connection to the substantial cash seized from the home of his associate Arpita Mukherjee, and should therefore be granted bail.
The ED recovered significant amounts of cash and gold from Mukherjee's residences in July 2022, which she claimed were stored there by Chatterjee.
Throughout the investigation, the ED also seized properties in the form of land or residences, either directly or jointly owned by the Trinamool Congress leader and his close associates.
Chatterjee was arrested at his home by the ED in July 2022. Following the initial days in custody, he has been held at the Presidency Central Correctional Home in south Kolkata.
Recently, the Calcutta High Court delivered a divided opinion on Chatterjee's bail plea related to the corruption case linked to the same alleged multi-crore cash-for-school-job scandal.
While Justice Arijit Bandopadhyay ruled in favor of granting bail to Chatterjee and eight others implicated, Justice Apurba Sinha Roy denied bail to Chatterjee and four others.
However, the bail requests of four individuals were approved by both Justices Bandopadhyay and Sinha Roy.
The division bench directed that the case be brought before Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam.
Subsequently, it was decided that a single-judge bench led by Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty would examine the matter, including Chatterjee's bail application.
