CBI Submits Third Supplementary Charge Sheet in Bengal School Job Scandal
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Kolkata, January 4 (NationPress) - The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has officially submitted its third supplementary charge sheet at a special court in Kolkata in relation to the extensive multi-crore cash-for-school jobs scandal in West Bengal.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is conducting an independent investigation into this case, has already presented a total of five charge sheets pertaining to the matter.
However, the process of framing charges in the ED-registered case at a special PMLA court in Kolkata has faced repeated delays due to the absence of the primary accused, Sujay Krishna Bhadra, who reportedly could not attend court due to hospitalization.
On Saturday, sources familiar with the situation revealed that the CBI has secured approval from the office of West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose to file charges against former West Bengal Education Minister and Trinamool Congress secretary general Partha Chatterjee, which is a prerequisite for the court to accept the charge sheet against any state Cabinet member.
With the green light for filing the chargesheet against Chatterjee, the pathway is now clear to initiate the charge framing process against him in the CBI-registered case concerning the alleged school job scam.
Chatterjee was initially apprehended in July 2022 by ED officials after substantial amounts of cash and gold were discovered at the residences of his close associate Arpita Mukherjee.
Since that time, Chatterjee has remained incarcerated at Presidency Central Correctional Home in South Kolkata, while Mukherjee was recently granted conditional bail.
Recently, the CBI has also indicated his arrest in the ongoing school job investigation, further complicating his potential release.
As of now, the total confiscated amount by the Enforcement Directorate has reached Rs 239.26 crore in connection with the cash-for-school-job scandal in West Bengal.
