What Are the Charges Against 21 in the Bengal School Jobs Case?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- The framing of charges against 21 individuals marks a significant development in the WBSSC scam.
- High-profile figures, including a former education minister, are implicated.
- Charges include serious offenses such as criminal conspiracy and forgery.
- The trial process is set to commence, with potential implications for the state's educational integrity.
- Public trust in educational recruitment processes is at stake.
Kolkata, Sep 11 (NationPress) The charges against 21 individuals involved in the alleged multi-crore West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) scam were officially framed by a special CBI court on Thursday.
Among those implicated are former West Bengal education minister and ex-Trinamool Congress secretary general Partha Chatterjee, former state minister for school education Paresh Chandra Adhikary, and his daughter Ankita Adhikary.
All three have submitted petitions seeking exemption from the charges leveled against them.
Other notable figures in the accused list include former West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE) chairman Kalyanmoy Gangopadhyay, former WBSSC chairman Subiresh Bhattacharya, and several others associated with the WBSSC.
Niladri Das and Pankaj Bansal, both linked to NYSA, the private agency involved in the recruitment process, have also been named.
The accusations include criminal conspiracy, disappearance of evidence, providing false information, cheating, forgery, and using forged documents as genuine.
With the framing of charges concluded, the trial is set to commence, leading to potential conviction and sentencing.
Partha Chatterjee notably has spent the longest time in custody related to the school-job case, having been arrested in July 2022 by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which was conducting its own investigation. He has since received bail in various cases but remains in custody due to other charges related to teacher recruitment irregularities.