West Bengal Job Scandal: Accused Placed on Ventilator, Charge Framing Process Stalled
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Kolkata, Dec 31 (NationPress) With Sujay Krishna Bhadra, one of the main suspects in the cash-for-school job scandal in West Bengal, now on a ventilator at a private hospital in Kolkata, there are growing uncertainties regarding the charge framing proceedings in the case filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
Bhadra was placed on a ventilator on Monday night. The charge framing process had commenced at a special court dealing with the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in Kolkata. However, legal experts believe that this recent health crisis is likely to cause a significant delay in the proceedings.
Senior advocate from the Calcutta High Court, Kaushik Gupta, elaborated on the challenges facing the charge framing process, stating that according to legal protocols, all accused individuals must be physically present in court throughout the entirety of the charge framing.
"In instances where an accused is hospitalized, the court typically waits for a reasonable period for the individual to recover and return to a state where they can attend court. Only if the accused does not regain their health within a reasonable timeframe will the court proceed with charge framing for the other accused in the case. Therefore, the charge framing for the school job scandal is likely to be delayed or postponed for the time being," Gupta clarified.
On Monday morning, after experiencing severe unease, Bhadra was transferred from the Presidency Central Correctional Home in South Kolkata to the state-run S.S.K.M. Medical College & Hospital, also located in South Kolkata. His condition worsened later that night, necessitating a transfer to a private medical facility in Kolkata, where he had previously undergone bypass surgery.
Among the 53 individuals named in the subsequent charge sheets filed by the ED, there are 29 individuals, while the rest comprise corporate entities or trusts. Apart from Bhadra, notable figures implicated in the charge sheets include former West Bengal education minister and Trinamool Congress secretary general Partha Chatterjee, as well as ruling party legislator and former president of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education, Manik Bhattacharya.
Also named in the charge sheet are Chatterjee’s close aide Arpita Mukherjee and his son-in-law Kalyanmoy Bhattacharya.
