West Bengal SSC scam: Ex-WBSEB head, Partha Chatterjee's CBI custody extended till 21 Sept

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday produced Kalyanmoy Ganguly, a former president of the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE) and former education minister in West Bengal government Partha Chatterjee in Alipore Court on Friday. 

The Alipore Court granted CBI the custody of Ganguly and Chatterjee till 21 September in connection with the Group-C recruitment scam in government schools. The investigative agency had booked five people, including Kalyanmoy Ganguly, on 20 May in connection with the case.

Kalyanmoy Ganguly's CBI custody till 21 Sept

Former Chairman of West Bengal Board of Secondary Education, Kalyanmoy Ganguly was produced before Alipore court in Kolkata on Friday. He was arrested on Thursday after he was called to the CBI's Kolkata office on Thursday and was found non-cooperative. 

It is alleged that the accused extended undue advantage to undeserving and unlisted candidates to the posts of Group-C staff in various schools across West Bengal in a criminal conspiracy.

Partha Chatterjee's CBI custody extended till 21 Sept

The Alipore Court also granted the investigative agency the custody of former education minister Partha Chatterjee till 21 September. The CBI had moved court demanding CBI custody to interrogate former minister. 

Following the demand, Court had ordered the jail authority to make Chatterjee present physically before the Court.

Chatterjee and his alleged close associate Arpita Mukherjee were on 23 July arrested by the Enforcement Directorate, which is probing the money trail in the scam and has seized nearly ₹50 crore in cash, apart from bullion, jewellery and property deeds from the latter's flats in Kolkata.

The former minister, who is at present in judicial remand, was produced before the special CBI court at Alipore district court in Kolkata on Friday.

The judge reserved judgement on the prayers after hearing both the parties.

Addressing the special court judge, Chatterjee's lawyer prayed that he be granted bail, claiming that he is aged and unwell.

The 70-year-old former minister claimed that he takes 28 medicines daily.

Claiming innocence, Chatterjee asserted that he was not in the know of day-to-day affairs of the recruitment process.

CBI lawyers, praying for Chatterjee's custody, submitted before the judge that the former minister getting enlarged on bail at this juncture will hamper the investigation into the SSC scam.

The CBI is investigating the SSC teaching and non-teaching staff recruitment scam on an order of the Calcutta High Court, which is monitoring the probe.

(With inputs from PTI)