Four week breather for Mamata Banerjee's Minister from CBI grilling

Kolkata: A division bench of the Calcutta High Court today (April 13, 2022) stayed a single bench order that directed West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee to appear before the CBI in connection with alleged irregularities in the appointment of assistant teachers in state government-aided schools.

The division bench, which had on Tuesday stayed the order till today morning, has now stayed the order for the next four weeks. The next hearing will take place on May 13.

Chatterjee, who was the state education minister when the alleged appointments were made, was directed by Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay to appear before the Central Bureau of Investigation at its office in Nizam Palace in Kolkata.

Chatterjee is now the industry, commerce, and parliamentary affairs minister of the Mamata Banerjee cabinet.

The order came in the petition by an aspirant for the post, Abdul Gani Ansari, his lawyer Firdous Shamim said.

On earlier orders of Justice Gangopadhyay, former advisor to West Bengal School Service Commission S P Sinha is facing a CBI probe in connection with alleged irregularities in appointments of teaching and non-teaching staff in government-aided schools in the state.

Justice Gangopadhyay had, in a petition over alleged illegal appointments, directed four of a five-member committee to appear before the CBI in connection with alleged irregularities in the recruitment process.

The panel was constituted by the West Bengal School Education Department in November 2019 for monitoring pending recruitments of teaching and non-teaching staff in government-aided schools.

The committee was headed by Sinha and the other four members were S Acharya, PK Bandopadhyay, AK Sarkar, and T Panja.

Justice Gangopadhay had on April 5 directed the CBI to register a case in the matter so that they can take all steps required. 

(With agency inputs)