Bengal school job scam: Accused Santu Gangopadhyay seeks approver status from ED after CBI plea
Synopsis
A key accused in the multi-crore Bengal school job scam has now knocked on both the CBI's and the ED's doors, seeking approver status — and allegedly naming senior TMC leaders as the masterminds. Coming after a change of government in West Bengal, Santu Gangopadhyay's twin pleas could blow the case wide open, placing figures at the top of the TMC hierarchy directly in the investigators' crosshairs.
Key Takeaways
Santu Gangopadhyay has approached both the ED and the CBI seeking approver status in the West Bengal school recruitment scam .
His plea to the CBI was filed on 12 September ; the ED letter followed days later.
Gangopadhyay reportedly named senior TMC leaders as masterminds of the alleged multi-crore recruitment racket.
He claims he was silenced by life threats under the previous TMC government and gained confidence only after the Assembly elections this year .
He and co-accused Kuntal Ghosh allegedly delivered money from the racket to a senior TMC leader .
Former West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee , a key figure in the case, has spent over three years in jail; both he and Gangopadhyay are currently on bail.
Santu Gangopadhyay, a Kolkata-based businessman accused in the multi-crore school recruitment scam in West Bengal, has approached the Enforcement Directorate (ED) seeking to become an approver in the case — days after filing a similar request with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The dual plea marks a significant escalation in the long-running Bengal school job scam, with Gangopadhyay reportedly naming senior Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders as masterminds behind the alleged racket.
The Twin Approver Pleas
Gangopadhyay had first approached the CBI on 12 September, seeking approver status in the school recruitment case. His fresh letter to the ED follows the same legal route, as both agencies have been conducting parallel probes into the scam. According to sources aware of the development, Gangopadhyay's letter to the ED specifically names a couple of top TMC leaders as the alleged architects of the scheme — a claim that, if verified, could significantly broaden the ambit of the investigation.
Life Threats and Silenced Testimony
In his communications to both agencies, Gangopadhyay reportedly claimed he had been willing to reveal information about the scam much earlier but was allegedly forced into silence by life threats during the previous Mamata Banerjee-led TMC government's tenure. He has now stated that the change of government in West Bengal following the Assembly elections earlier this year gave him the confidence to come forward and disclose everything to the central probe agencies.
Allegations Against TMC Leaders
Sources said that in his communications to both the ED and the CBI, Gangopadhyay alleged that he and fellow accused Kuntal Ghosh had delivered money collected through the recruitment racket to a senior TMC leader. Gangopadhyay was previously known as a close confidant of former West Bengal Education Minister and former TMC Secretary General Partha Chatterjee, who has spent more than three years in jail for his alleged role in the scam. Both Gangopadhyay and Chatterjee are currently out on bail.
Background: The Bengal School Recruitment Scam
The school job scam involves allegations of widespread corruption in the recruitment of primary teachers and other staff in West Bengal's state-run schools, with the alleged collection and distribution of crores of rupees in illegal payments. Gangopadhyay is named in the CBI charge sheet in the primary teacher recruitment case and was arrested before being granted bail. The case has already claimed several high-profile political casualties, with Chatterjee's long detention being the most prominent. Notably, this is one of the most politically sensitive corruption cases to have emerged from West Bengal in recent years, implicating figures at the heart of the TMC's organisational structure.
What Comes Next
The ED and CBI will now need to evaluate Gangopadhyay's approver applications, a process that involves assessing the credibility and evidentiary value of the information he proposes to share. If granted approver status, he would receive certain legal protections in exchange for full disclosure and testimony. Given the politically charged nature of his allegations against senior TMC figures, the agencies' response to his plea is expected to be closely watched by both investigators and the accused.
Point of View
But their political timing is striking — filed immediately after a new government replaced the TMC in West Bengal. What mainstream coverage underplays is the structural risk these pleas pose: if an approver deal is formalised, the evidentiary chain could for the first time directly implicate TMC's organisational leadership rather than peripheral figures. The Partha Chatterjee chapter was damaging enough; testimony reaching higher up the party hierarchy would be of a different order entirely. The agencies must now weigh evidentiary value against the risk of granting legal protection to someone who was himself a willing participant in the alleged racket for years.
NationPress
21 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Santu Gangopadhyay and what is his role in the Bengal school job scam?
Santu Gangopadhyay is a Kolkata-based businessman named in the CBI charge sheet in the West Bengal school recruitment scam, which involves allegations of illegal payments for teacher appointments in state-run schools. He was previously arrested in the case but is currently out on bail, and was known as a close confidant of former Education Minister Partha Chatterjee.
What does it mean to become an approver in a criminal case?
An approver is an accused person who agrees to give full disclosure and testimony against co-accused in exchange for legal protections, including typically a pardon or reduced prosecution. The investigating agency must evaluate the credibility and value of the information offered before granting such status.
What new allegations has Gangopadhyay made against TMC leaders?
According to sources, Gangopadhyay's letters to both the ED and CBI name senior TMC leaders as masterminds of the school recruitment racket. He also alleges that he and co-accused Kuntal Ghosh delivered money collected through the scam to a senior TMC leader, though this has not yet been independently verified.
Why is Gangopadhyay coming forward now?
Gangopadhyay has claimed he was willing to speak earlier but was forced into silence by life threats during the previous TMC-led government in West Bengal. He says the change of government following the Assembly elections this year gave him the confidence to approach central probe agencies.
What is the current status of Partha Chatterjee in the school job case?
Former West Bengal Education Minister and former TMC Secretary General Partha Chatterjee spent more than three years in jail for his alleged involvement in the school job scam. He is currently out on bail, as is Gangopadhyay.
