In a hearing about the allegedly multi-billion dollar West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) scam, a special CBI court on Friday rejected the Presidency Special Correctional Home’s request for former minister Partha Chatterjee to appear virtually. Instead, the court ordered the jail administration to physically present the Trinamool Congress leader by Monday.
A special CBI court on Friday denied Presidency Special Correctional Home’s request for former minister Partha Chatterjee to appear virtually in a hearing over the purportedly multi-million dollar West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) fraud because to security concerns. Instead, the Trinamool Congress leader must be physically present by Monday at 10.20 a.m., according to the court’s instruction to the jail management.
Manik Bhattacharya, a former West Bengal Board of Primary Education (WBBPE) chief and Trinamool MLA, had his bail application dismissed by a Bankshal court on Friday. His judicial detention was extended until November 10.
As part of its investigation into the practise of employing “undeserving” people as elementary instructors at state-sponsored and -aided schools allegedly in exchange for payment, the central agency apprehended Bhattacharya. Bhattacharya, who had been detained by the organisation on October 10 and had been placed in ED custody, was moved to judicial custody on October 25 and stayed there till Friday.
The court also granted a second request by the CBI to question Bhattacharya in the jail.
Chatterjee was included as one of the primary conspirators in the alleged scheme by both the CBI and the ED in their respective chargesheets.
Bhattacharya’s attorney pleaded with the court to grant bail because his client had provided written declarations and all the information regarding his bank accounts. According to the attorney, he always cooperated with the ED and showed up when required.
The ED said that Bhattacharya had direct connections to Chatterjee in the scheme and that suspicious accounts in his and his family members’ names had been discovered that were inconsistent with their income.
The ED further asserted that they discovered crucial information concerning the scheme in Chatterjee and Bhattacharya’s WhatsApp conversations. On November 10, Bhattacharya will now be brought before the court.