The special CBI court (Bankshall court) on Monday, 25 July, remanded Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee and his 'close aide' Arpita Mukherjee to 10 days custody of the Enforcement Directorate.
They will be produced in court again on 3 August for further hearing. The court has also instructed that the both undergo a medical checkup every 48 hours.
Meanwhile, AIIMS Bhubhaneshwar discharged Chatterjee after declaring him fit. He will be flown back to Kolkata tomorrow, after which he will be in ED custody.
Chatterjee's lawyer had prayed for bail and Mukherjee's lawyer had prayed for a shorter custody and security for Mukherjee. Both of them were rejected by the court.
Chatterjee was arrested by the ED on 23 July in connection with the alleged irregularities in the recruitment of teachers, clerks, and staff in state-run schools. He was arrested after Rs 21 crore in cash were recovered from the residence of Arpita Mukherjee, considered to be a close aide of Chatterjee.
ED sources alleged that Mukherjee has failed to cooperate with the officials regarding the case. They also reported to have retrieved a black diary from her residence, along with hard disks and foreign currency. They now suspect that the alleged 'scam' is worth Rs 120 crore.
Earlier in the day, Mamata Banerjee reiterated the need for a time-bound investigation in the SSC case. She said that those guilty will be duly punished.
The West Bengal Chief Minister said, “If proven to be true, then put the person behind bars even if it is for life. People make mistakes. I know there are aspirants who are without a job, and I have formed a separate committee to solve that problem.”
The Calcutta High Court also instructed the ED to associate the ten members of his bodyguard’s (Bushwambhar Mandal) family, who were also allegedly illegally provided jobs as primary teachers, to the ongoing case.
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