Kolkata,1 May 2025 (Punjab Khabarnama Bureau): West Bengal governor CV Ananda Bose on Wednesday granted permission to the enforcement directorate (ED) to prosecute former education minister Partha Chatterjee and Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Manik Bhattacharya in connection with alleged irregularities in the recruitment of school teachers and non-teaching staff in the state.
“On April 30, Governor has sanctioned prosecution of Chatterjee, the then state education minister and Bhattacharya, the then president of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education in ED case,” an official from the Raj Bhavan said on Thursday.
Chatterjee was the state education minister from 2014 to 2021 and the alleged irregularities took place in 2018.
In May 2022, the Calcutta high court ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe the appointment of non-teaching staff (Group C and D) and teaching staff by the West Bengal School Service Commission and West Bengal Board of Secondary Education between 2014 and 2021. The appointees allegedly paid bribes in the range of ₹5-15 lakh to get jobs after failing the selection tests.
The federal agency arrested Chatterjee on July 23, 2022. He is presently lodged in the Presidency Correctional Home in Kolkata. Following his arrest, Chatterjee was removed as the minister by the Mamata Banerjee government and from all party posts including secretary general.
Bhattacharya, who was arrested in October 2022, was granted bail in September 2024.
The governor had in December 2024 granted sanction to the CBI to prosecute Chatterjee, who is a TMC legislator from Behala Paschim assembly.
Summary: West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose has approved ED’s request to prosecute ex-minister Partha Chatterjee and TMC MLA Manik Bhattacharya in the school jobs scam case.