Looking to get bail, Partha Chatterjee now arrested by CBI

Former West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee was arrested by the CBI in connection with the primary recruitment corruption case. The arrest was confirmed during a virtual appearance in the special CBI court at Bankshal Court on Tuesday, where the CBI formally requested his arrest. While Chatterjee was shown as arrested in this case, the CBI did not seek his custody. Another accused in the case, Ayan Sheel, was also arrested by the CBI on the same day.

Chatterjee has been in legal battles, having recently approached the Supreme Court seeking bail after his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the SSC recruitment corruption case. However, even if the Supreme Court grants him bail in that case, his release from prison is unlikely, as the CBI has now applied for his arrest in the primary recruitment corruption case. The CBI's move comes amid a wave of recent bail approvals for several high-profile individuals involved in corruption cases, including Manik Banerjee, Anubrata Mondal, and Enamul Haque.

During the hearing, Chatterjee's lawyer argued that his client was ill, but the CBI lawyer countered, stating that the medical report was from 2023. Chatterjee himself claimed during the virtual hearing that despite two years in jail, no evidence had been found against him. However, the court ruled that such comments were not relevant to the current arrest application but could be raised in future bail applications.

Chatterjee was initially arrested on July 22, 2022, by the ED in connection with the SSC recruitment corruption case, where crores of rupees were seized from the flats of Arpita Mukherjee, who was alleged to be closely associated with Chatterjee. Despite previous attempts for bail, Chatterjee remains in the Presidency Correctional Facility.