Court imposes restrictions on Partha Chatterjee following bail in teacher recruitment irregularities case.
The Calcutta High Court has granted bail to former West Bengal minister and Trinamool Congress MLA Partha Chatterjee in connection with alleged irregularities in the 2016 teacher recruitment process. This decision, reported by PTI, comes after Chatterjee’s arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in July 2022, marking a significant development in a case that has drawn considerable public attention.
Justice Suvra Ghosh, presiding over the bail hearing, laid down specific conditions. Chatterjee is required to surrender his passport and is prohibited from leaving the jurisdiction of the trial court during the ongoing legal proceedings. Additionally, he is barred from holding any public office while the trial is pending. These measures aim to ensure that the integrity of the trial process is maintained.
The allegations against Chatterjee center around a scam that reportedly involved the illegal appointment of unqualified candidates to various teaching positions within the state’s education department. This controversy first surfaced when numerous unsuccessful candidates from the Teachers’ Eligibility Test, conducted by the West Bengal Board of Primary Education, approached the High Court to voice their grievances. They claimed that the recruitment process was marred by corruption, wherein government jobs were allegedly awarded in exchange for money, rather than to deserving candidates who had qualified through the proper channels.
The High Court’s intervention on June 8, 2022, prompted a thorough investigation into these allegations. Following the court’s order, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) promptly registered a case the very next day, initiating a formal inquiry into the purported irregularities. Subsequently, on June 24, 2022, the Enforcement Directorate also filed a case, which named several office-bearers of the education department as part of the investigation.
Chatterjee’s role as the state education minister in 2019 has been scrutinized, as it was during his tenure that these alleged corrupt practices reportedly took place. The case has sparked widespread concern regarding the integrity of the recruitment processes for government jobs in West Bengal, particularly in the education sector. The ongoing proceedings are expected to shed further light on the extent of the irregularities and the individuals involved.
As the trial progresses, the implications of this case extend beyond Chatterjee himself, potentially affecting the broader landscape of teacher recruitment and employment in West Bengal. The situation remains fluid, with many awaiting the outcomes of the investigations and subsequent court rulings.
