Former West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee was released on bail on Tuesday after spending over three years in custody. He was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate and CBI in connection with the alleged 2016 West Bengal School Service Commission scam, widely known as the school jobs-for-cash scandal. Chatterjee faces serious charges including accepting bribes from ineligible candidates, conspiring with commission officials, manipulating answer sheets, and laundering money through shell companies. The scam emerged when the state government issued 25,753 appointment orders for only 24,640 advertised posts following a recruitment exam taken by 23 lakh candidates. Several Trinamool Congress leaders, including MLAs Manik Bhattacharya and Jiban Krishna Saha, are also accused in the case. Multiple agencies have conducted raids, arrests, and interrogations since the Calcutta High Court ordered a CBI investigation in November 2021. Some accused individuals have received bail while investigations continue.
Current Status of Key Accused and Ongoing Investigations
The Calcutta High Court granted bail to Manik Bhattacharya in September 2024, while the Supreme Court approved bail for Jiban Krishna Saha in May 2024, though he remains jailed due to separate ED charges. Arpita Mukherjee, Shantanu Bandopadhyay, and Kuntal Ghosh received bail in November last year. Shanti Prasad Sinha continues in custody. Sujay Krishna Bhadra's interim bail, granted in February, has been extended. Following Supreme Court directives, the WBSSC published names and roll numbers of 1,806 tainted candidates on August 30, 2024. The court ordered fresh examinations to fill 25,726 assistant teacher posts, though these tests have not yet been conducted. Investigations by multiple agencies continue.
Source: Link