ED summons Trinamool MLA in primary teachers’ recruitment scam

Kolkata: The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday summoned Trinamool Congress legislator and former president of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education, Manik Bhattacharya, for questioning next week in teachers’ recruitment scam case.

According to sources, Bhattacharya has received ED summons in this connection for the second time in this case. Earlier, was grilled by the central agency in the matter on August 1.

To recall, the Calcutta High Court’s single-judge bench of Justice Avijit Gangopadhyay had ordered the removal of Bhattacharya as WBBPE president while ordering an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the matter. The CBI later roped in the ED in the investigation process, just as it did in the case of WBSSC scam, according to news agency IANS.

While passing the order for CBI enquiry, Gangopdhyay had also ordered for immediate cancellation of the appointment of 269 candidates as primary teachers and observed that these candidates secured jobs despite not qualifying in the written examination, while some of them did not even appear for the same, reported the agency.

Incidentally, the CBI had also summoned Bhattacharya earlier in this connection, which the latter ducked, said the sources.

To avoid central agency probe, the West Bengal government had approached a division bench of the Calcutta High Court challenging the single-judge bench order on this count. However, on July 19, the division bench of justices Subrata Talukdar and Lapita Bandopadhyay refused to grant a stay on the order for CBI probe.

Notably, West Bengal Minister Partha Chatterjee was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in July. The arrest had come hours after ₹ 20 crore was recovered from the minister’s aide Arpita Mukherjee who has been arrested as well. Following this, the 69-year-old politician was removed as minister from the West Bengal cabinet and was then suspended from the TMC.

Chatterjee was West Bengal’s education minister when the SSC scam was allegedly pulled off. – INDIA NEWS STREAM