A Special CBI court in Alipore granted bail to former state education minister Partha Chatterjee on charges related to the School Service Commission (SSC) recruitment cases on Wednesday. The court released him on a personal bond of Rs 7,000. This is the first time a lower court has granted him bail in these specific cases. However, he remains in custody due to other ongoing cases against him.
Chatterjee was arrested in connection with a larger recruitment scam in 2022. He had previously received bail from the Supreme Court in a Group C case initiated by the CBI. He attended the Alipore court virtually on Wednesday, as his name is listed in the charge sheet. However, the bail granted in this SSC-related matter does not affect his detention in other legal proceedings.
Trinamool Congress MLA Paresh Adhikari and his daughter Ankita Adhikari appeared before the Special CBI court on Wednesday and received bail after appearing in person.
Ankita’s name was on a list of people with questionable backgrounds released by the West Bengal SSC, following Supreme Court orders, according to the prosecution. The CBI has charged both Paresh and Ankita in the recruitment case for Classes 11 and 12.
Several other individuals connected to the investigations also appeared in court on Wednesday. Sukanta Acharya, who worked as an assistant to Partha Chatterjee during his time as education minister, surrendered and sought bail in the Group C corruption case.
SSC officials Samarjit Acharya and Parna Basu, along with numerous agents and sub-agents mentioned in various charge sheets, were also brought before the court. The CBI had summoned a total of 75 individuals; however, many did not show up.
The CBI opposed the bail requests, arguing that the accused played key roles in the alleged misconduct and stressing the significant social impact of the cases. The agency stated to the court, “Their involvement is critical in each case, affecting society as a whole.” Despite the CBI’s objections, the Special CBI court approved bail for Partha Chatterjee in the Class 9 and 10 cases and granted bail to other individuals appearing before it.
