Calcutta HC Denies Anticipatory Bail to Key Accused in Bengal School Employment Scandal
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Kolkata, December 16 (NationPress) The Calcutta High Court has on Monday turned down the anticipatory bail request from Sujay Krishna Bhadra, who is the main accused in the multi-crore cash-for-school-job scandal in West Bengal. This case is being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Recently, a judge on a single-judge bench of the high court had provided conditional bail to Bhadra concerning a case filed against him by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is also investigating the school job scandal.
However, the CBI has commenced efforts to take Bhadra into custody, as he is currently receiving medical treatment at the Presidency Central Correctional Home in south Kolkata.
Fearing arrest from the CBI, Bhadra's legal representative filed for anticipatory bail in the high court.
On Monday, the division bench comprising Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Gaurang Kanth dismissed the request.
The CBI's lawyer, Dhiraj Trivedi, informed the bench that a production warrant has already been issued against Bhadra, and the agency's officials could take him into custody at any moment. When the bench inquired why the agency had not yet taken Bhadra into custody, Trivedi explained that the authorities at the correctional home had notified CBI officials that Bhadra's current medical condition was not conducive to being taken into custody.
"However, since a production warrant has already been issued, it is only a matter of time before Bhadra is taken into custody, and thus the anticipatory bail plea should not be granted," he contended.
In response, Bhadra's lawyer argued that since the production warrant had not yet been executed, there were no legal obstacles to granting anticipatory bail. Ultimately, the division bench sided with the CBI's argument and denied the anticipatory bail request.
