SC seeks reply from ED on bail plea of Partha Chatterjee

The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought a response from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) regarding the bail plea of former West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee, who is accused in the teacher recruitment scam. A bench led by Justice Surya Kant issued the notice, with the hearing adjourned for two weeks. Earlier this year, the Calcutta High Court had denied Chatterjee's bail request on April 30.

Representing Chatterjee, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi argued that the 74-year-old leader has already been in jail for over two years. Rohatgi pointed out that the maximum punishment under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) is seven years and requested an expedited response from the ED due to Chatterjee’s deteriorating health.

The ED registered a case against Chatterjee in June 2022, followed by a CBI investigation. He is accused of taking bribes for teacher recruitment, appointing unqualified individuals, and sidelining deserving candidates. During raids linked to Chatterjee, the ED recovered over ₹49 crores in cash and ₹5 crores worth of jewelry from flats belonging to Arpita Mukherjee, an associate of Chatterjee.

Additional evidence, including fake companies and digital devices, was found, implicating him in the scam. Despite his efforts to distance himself from the seized cash and jewelry, agencies have continued to tighten their investigation, with the TMC rejecting the allegations against Chatterjee.