Delay in Charge Framing for Bengal School Job Scandal as Accused is Hospitalized

Kolkata, Dec 30 (NationPress) The charge framing procedure in West Bengal's multi-crore cash-for-school employment scandal, filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), was postponed at a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Kolkata on Monday due to the urgent hospitalization of the primary accused Sujay Krishna Bhadra earlier today.

The next court session regarding this issue is scheduled for January 2, where the special court judge will make decisions based on Bhadra's medical report.

As mandated, all individuals named in the subsequent charge sheets submitted by the ED are required to appear in person at the court during the charge framing. However, Bhadra's hospitalization rendered this impossible, leading to the postponement until the next session on January 2.

Bhadra is presently receiving treatment at the state-operated S.S.K.M. Medical College & Hospital in south Kolkata, where he was transferred from the Presidency Central Correctional Home. He reported feeling unwell in the morning and subsequently lost consciousness.

Earlier this month, the Calcutta High Court granted bail to Bhadra in the case initiated by the ED. However, he remained incarcerated as he was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is conducting a concurrent investigation into the school job scandal.

The CBI held him in custody for three days for questioning. However, on December 21, the CBI chose not to request an extension of his custody, with the agency's legal representative informing the court that Bhadra had been refusing to eat or take prescribed medications since being taken into custody, leading to various medical issues.

In May 2023, the ED arrested Bhadra, also known as ‘Kalighater Kaku’ (Uncle from Kalighat). In its fifth and final charge sheet, it disclosed the confiscation of ₹7.47 crore from a private corporate entity associated with Bhadra and is in the process of confiscating an additional ₹2.70 crore from the same entity.

A total of 53 individuals have been identified as accused in the charge sheets presented at the special PMLA court, comprising 29 individuals and 24 corporate entities or trusts.

Besides Bhadra, notable names in the charge sheet include former state Education Minister and Trinamool Congress Secretary General Partha Chatterjee, who also held the position of former President of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education (WBBPE).

Additionally, Chatterjee's close associate Arpita Mukherjee and his son-in-law Kalyanmoy Bhattacharya have also been implicated as accused.

A trust named Babli Chatterjee Memorial Trust, dedicated to the late wife of Partha Chatterjee, has also been included in the fifth supplementary charge sheet filed by the ED recently.