Calcutta HC doubles fine of Manik Bhattacharya to 4 lakhs in teacher recruitment scam

Trinamool MLA Manik Bhattacharya has been fined by the Calcutta High Court for his involvement in the teacher recruitment scam. The court has doubled the previous fine of two lakh rupees to four lakh rupees.

High Court Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay ordered Bhattacharya, who was the former chairman of the Board of Primary Education, to pay the fine by 16 February. However, Bhattacharya has not yet made the payment.

The reason for the fine is the irresponsible actions of the Board of Primary Education, which caused a candidate named Malarani Pal to be unaware of the results of the Primary Recruitment Test (TET) for eight years.

Due to this negligence, Malarani Pal missed the TET exam twice, which caused significant harm to their career. The Calcutta High Court has held Bhattacharya responsible for the board's neglect and the resulting harm caused to the candidates' careers.

In January, the court had ordered Bhattacharya to pay a fine of Rs 2 lakh for his involvement in the teacher recruitment scam. The court also directed him to pay the fine within 15 days. However, Bhattacharya failed to make the payment, which resulted in the court doubling the fine. The court's decision sends a message that those involved in such scams will be held accountable for their actions.