Calcutta HC judge annoyed with CBI, threatens to take over primary school appointment scam probe

Calcutta High Court Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay on Thursday said he will investigate the primary school appointment scam himself and send a report to the Prime Minister if the CBI does not submit a progress report within seven days on the court-ordered probe.

Observing that the CBI officers were "not fit to conduct any investigation", the judge threatened to take action against the "inefficient" investigating officers. "Come up with new facts during the next hearing. The probe has been continuing for the last 10 months. Is it a joke?" Justice Gangopadhyay said, giving a seven-day deadline to the agency. 

The judge said he did not understand why the CBI was sitting on a list of those who had given money, allegedly to get jobs, after learning that the agency had already identified some of them. "The court had earlier directed the arrest of those who gave money for jobs. What prevents you from making the arrests?" he asked the CBI. 

The court set a February 10 deadline for the CBI to question former West Bengal Board of Basic Education chairman Manik Bhattacharya, who is now in custody, and submit a "significant report". "Do I have to go to question Manik Bhattacharya?" Justice Gangopadhyay observed, adding that the primary investigation officer was not worthy of being in civil service.

The judge also expressed disappointment after learning that the supplementary recruitment board 2016 is yet to be released. Former West Bengal Board of Basic Education Secretary Ratna Chakraborty Bagchi, who was present in the courtroom, told the court that the additional bench was constituted by Bhattacharya. She said that M/s Basu Roy & Company and its Chairman, Gautam Mukherjee, had done confidential work on the panel. "Gautam Mukherjee is no more. But the company might throw light on the panel," she submitted. The court directed her to submit an affidavit to the court.