The judicial custody of former West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee has been extended until October 19 by a special CBI court in Alipore. This extension is related to the CBI’s investigation into the School Service Commission (SSC) recruitment scam. During the hearing on Wednesday, the court similarly extended the judicial custody of other key figures in the case, including former West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE) president Kalyanmoy Ganguly, ex-secretary of West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) Ashok Saha, and former SSC adviser S P Sinha.
The CBI had requested the extension, and the court granted the request. The investigation into the SSC recruitment scam was initiated by the CBI based on an order from the Calcutta High Court.
Partha Chatterjee and his alleged close associate Arpita Mukherjee were arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on July 23 as part of the probe into the money trail associated with the SSC recruitment scam. The ED uncovered Rs 49.80 crore in cash from Mukherjee’s flats in the city, along with bullion, jewelry, and property deeds. The ED has accused Chatterjee and Mukherjee of money laundering through a criminal conspiracy related to the illegal allocation of teaching posts based on SSC recommendations in state-sponsored and -aided schools, resulting in substantial criminal proceeds. The total value of the seizures, including cash, is alleged to exceed Rs 100 crore, as stated in a chargesheet submitted before a PMLA court.
Chatterjee, who was the education minister at the time of the alleged scam, has been in judicial remand since September 21. The Mamata Banerjee government relieved him of his ministerial duties shortly after his arrest, and the TMC also removed him from various party posts, including secretary-general.
