WBSSC scam: ED takes Partha Chatterjee via air-ambulance to AIIMS Bhubaneswar

Kolkata: Enforcement Directorate (ED) sleuths, probing the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) recruitment irregularities, have taken West Bengal Commerce & Industries Minister and the Trinamool Congress Secretary General, Partha Chatterjee to AIIMS Bhubaneswar for medical examination on Monday morning.

He was taken to Kolkata Airport at around 8.30 a.m., where the air-ambulance was waiting, and at 9 a.m., the air-ambulance took off for Bhubaneswar.

Chatterjee is accompanied by ED officials, his counsel, Anindya Raut and a medical practitioner from state-run SSKM Medical |College & Hospital. Chatterjee was taken to AIIMS, Bhubaneswar following an order of Calcutta High Court’s single-judge bench of Justice Bibek Chaudhuri on late Sunday evening.

As per the single-judge bench order, medical check-up of Chatterjee should be complete at AIIMS Bhubaneswar by Monday morning and its report should be submitted at his bench by 3 p.m. on the same day.

Chatterjee and his close aide Arpita Mukherjee were supposed to be produced at a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court for hearing on Monday. On this count, the High Court bench directed the ED to ensure that Chatterjee is produced before the PMLA court virtually from Bhubaneswar.

Although Chatterjee’s counsel argued that his client be treated at the state-run SSKM Medical College & Hospital, Justice Chaudhuri’s bench rejected the plea and also observed that there have been instances wherein influential ministers of the state government had taken ‘shelter’ at SSKM to avoid questioning by Central agencies. (IANS)