The Calcutta High Court on Thursday allowed the Central Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement Directorate to question Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee in a case pertaining to alleged irregularities in the recruitment of primary teachers in West Bengal, reported Bar and Bench.
Justice Amrita Sinha of the High Court also allowed the agencies to question another Trinamool Congress leader Kuntal Ghosh, who had alleged that he was being pressured by investigators to make allegations about Banerjee.
In 2019, jobs were allegedly given to candidates in return for money instead of candidates who had qualified in the recruitment process. A dozen officials of the state education department, including former minister Partha Chatterjee, have been arrested in the case.
On April 13, Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay of the High Court had directed the two central agencies to question Banerjee in the case. The order was challenged by Banerjee in the Supreme Court who said that the judge had expressed his dislike for him in an interview with ABP Ananda news channel.
On April 17, the Supreme Court had stayed the order. On April 28, it ordered the High Court Chief Justice to reassign the case from Justice Gangopadhyay’s bench to some other bench.
On Thursday, Justice Sinha, also imposed costs of Rs 25 lakh on both Banerjee and Ghosh, reported Bar and Bench.
The High Court also reprimanded both the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate for their slow investigation.
“Whatever that is mentioned in the sealed envelopes is of pre-historic age,” Justice Sinha said. “The agencies have given details of what happened in 2022 but we are in 2023. No new and recent development is mentioned in these envelopes. Are the agencies waiting for the evidences to be vanished?”
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