Calcutta HC grants bail to Partha Chatterjee

Kolkata

The Calcutta High Court on Friday granted bail to former West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee in connection with the CBI probe into irregularities in primary school teacher recruitment. Chatterjee, the key accused in the multi-crore “cash-for-jobs” scam that shook state politics, has been in jail for over three years. He has already secured bail in other CBI and ED cases, and now can walk out once bail formalities are completed.

Justice Suvra Ghosh granted bail on a Rs 10 lakh bond with sureties and imposed conditions including surrendering Chatterjee’s passport, reporting to the trial court regularly, and refraining from holding any public office during the trial. The court noted that as Chatterjee no longer holds office, the risk of misusing his position is minimal, and further custodial interrogation was unnecessary.

The CBI opposed bail, citing the potential for witness intimidation, while noting Chatterjee’s involvement in facilitating illegal appointments in exchange for favors. Co-accused include private promoters Ayan Sil and Santu Gangopadhyay, with Chatterjee’s son-in-law Kalyanmoy Bhattacharya turning approver.

Chatterjee was arrested in July 2022 after raids uncovered documents and properties linked to the illegal appointments, along with nearly Rs 50 crore in cash and over Rs 5 crore in gold. The case stems from complaints by candidates who failed the teachers’ eligibility tests, prompting a CBI investigation into large-scale recruitment corruption in West Bengal’s education department.

Despite the bail order, lawyers note that Chatterjee may not be released before Durga Puja due to pending procedural formalities.