Synopsis
The Supreme Court has issued a notice regarding Partha Chatterjee's bail plea tied to the cash-for-school job scam. The court has requested a response from the CBI as it examines the case involving the former West Bengal Education Minister.Key Takeaways
- The Supreme Court has acknowledged Chatterjee's bail plea.
- A division bench previously delivered a split judgement on his bail.
- New evidence implicates Chatterjee in candidate selection.
- Chatterjee was arrested in connection with the school job scam.
- He is currently undergoing treatment in Kolkata.
New Delhi, Feb 21 (NationPress) The Supreme Court has officially issued a notice regarding a plea submitted by Partha Chatterjee, the former Education Minister of West Bengal, seeking bail in relation to the alleged multi-crore cash-for-school job scandal.
A bench consisting of Justices Surya Kant and N.K. Singh has agreed to review Chatterjee’s bail application and has requested a response from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) concerning the matter.
In December 2024, a single-judge bench of the Calcutta High Court had denied bail to Chatterjee after a division bench, comprising Justice Arijit Bandopadhya and Justice Apruba Sinha Roy, delivered a split decision on whether to grant bail to him and eight other co-accused.
While Justice Bandopadhya favored bail for Chatterjee and eight others involved, Justice Sinha Roy opposed it for Chatterjee and four additional individuals.
The case was subsequently reassigned to a single-judge bench led by Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty.
Recently, CBI officials have uncovered new evidence regarding Chatterjee's involvement in personally shortlisting candidates recommended by influential figures for selection. The CBI has obtained a list of 324 candidates from the state Education Department headquarters in Salt Lake, whose names were suggested by several prominent individuals, including current and former MPs and MLAs from the ruling Trinamool Congress.
Further investigations revealed that this list was sent to Chatterjee, who personally filtered names for selection and instructed his subordinates to proceed accordingly. Additionally, some handwritten notes on the list have further confirmed Chatterjee's role in the selection process, according to sources familiar with the investigation.
Chatterjee was first arrested in July 2022 by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is also conducting a parallel investigation into the school job scandal. The CBI later also arrested him.
Currently, he is receiving treatment at a private hospital in Kolkata due to a reported decline in his medical condition. The hospital authorities have recently notified a special court in Kolkata that the former minister is nearly recovered and will be discharged soon. The Supreme Court has already granted conditional bail to Chatterjee in the case registered by the ED.
