Calcutta High Court Orders CBI to Present Case Diaries in Municipal Recruitment Scandal
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Synopsis
On March 18, the Calcutta High Court mandated the CBI to present detailed case diaries related to ongoing investigations into significant irregularities in several West Bengal municipalities, as the court reviews a bail petition from Ayan Sil, an accused in the case.
Key Takeaways
- Calcutta High Court directs CBI to submit case diaries.
- Investigation involves irregularities in 17 municipalities.
- Ayan Sil is accused of facilitating job placements for money.
- ED and CBI are investigating a scam estimated at Rs 200 crore.
- The case will be heard again on Wednesday.
Kolkata, March 18 (NationPress) The Calcutta High Court has ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to present the comprehensive case diaries regarding its active inquiry into the massive irregularities occurring in various municipalities of West Bengal. This ruling was issued by the division bench comprising Justice Debangshu Basak and Justice Smita Das while addressing a bail petition filed by the accused Ayan Sil.
During the proceedings on Tuesday, the bench requested the CBI to provide the case diaries pertaining to the investigation. The CBI's legal representative contended that due to the involvement of 17 municipalities, the relevant documents are extensive.
The CBI counsel proposed that it would be more feasible for the agency to submit a report instead of the detailed case diaries. However, the division bench dismissed this argument, expressing confusion over the difficulty of providing extensive documents. Consequently, the court instructed the CBI to deliver the case diaries.
The case is scheduled for another hearing on Wednesday. Recently, Sil was granted bail in a separate multi-crore cash-for-school job scandal, where he faced similar accusations. Nevertheless, he remains incarcerated due to ongoing cases lodged against him by both the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) concerning the irregularities in municipal recruitment.
Sil was apprehended in March 2023 by ED agents during the school job investigation. At the time of his arrest, the ED uncovered several documents at his home that first revealed the extent of the irregularities in municipal recruitment.
Following this, he was formally arrested by both the ED and CBI in relation to the municipal recruitment scandals. Sil is alleged to have facilitated jobs in at least 17 municipalities in West Bengal for monetary gain, with a total of 1,821 illegal recruitments made across these municipalities.
Officials from the central agency have estimated that the total scale of the municipal recruitment irregularities amounts to approximately Rs 200 crore. Most of these irregularities occurred in municipalities located in the North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas districts.
