The single-judge bench of Justice Suvra Ghosh at Calcutta High Court will deliver a crucial verdict on Friday that will ultimately determine whether the former West Bengal Education Minister and Trinamool Congress Secretary General Partha Chatterjee will be able to walk free after three years and two months behind bars.
The hearing on Chatterjee’s bail petition in this case, registered against him by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in relation to irregularities in the recruitment of primary teachers in the state, was concluded at Justice Ghosh’s bench on September 15.
However, the order was kept on reserve on that day, and information has surfaced that the order will be given by the single-judge bench on Friday.
To explain why this verdict is crucial for Chatterjee, who was booked by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), in all cases registered by these agencies within the larger ambit of the alleged school job case. Both agencies described Chatterjee as the principal mastermind in all the cases registered against him in the alleged scam.
There are six broad categories in the entire ambit of the alleged school-job scam.
The first, second, and third appointments are for secondary, higher secondary, and upper-primary teachers, respectively, conducted by the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC). The fourth is the appointment of primary teachers by the West Bengal Board of Primary Education (WBBPE), and the fifth and sixth categories are non-teaching staff in the Group-C and Group-D categories, also conducted by WBSSC.
By now, different courts have granted bail to Chatterjee in all other cases, except the one related to the recruitment of primary teachers, for which he has remained behind bars.
Now, Friday’s verdict will finally decide whether he will continue to remain behind bars or get released on bail before the forthcoming Durga Puja starting from this month-end.
Among all the accused in the school-job cases, Partha Chatterjee is the one who has been behind the bars for his involvement in the school-job case for the longest period. He was arrested on July 23, 2022, at his residence by the officials of ED. Later, he was also shown to be arrested by the CBI.
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