The Calcutta High Court on Friday granted bail to former West Bengal minister and Trinamool Congress MLA Partha Chatterjee in connection with the alleged teacher recruitment irregularities case.
The order was passed by Justice Suvra Ghosh, who directed Chatterjee to surrender his passport and remain within the jurisdiction of the trial court. The court also imposed a condition that he shall not hold or be appointed to any public office during the pendency of the trial.
Chatterjee, who previously served as the state’s education minister, was accused of facilitating illegal appointments of unqualified candidates to the posts of primary school teachers, assistant teachers, and other education department positions.
The controversy dates back to June 2022, when several unsuccessful candidates in the Teachers’ Eligibility Test (TET), conducted by the West Bengal Board of Primary Education, approached the Calcutta High Court alleging large-scale irregularities. Acting on their petitions, the High Court ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe on June 8, 2022.
The CBI subsequently registered an FIR the following day, and on June 24, 2022, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) also lodged a money laundering case against Chatterjee and several officials of the state education department.
