Express News Service
KOLKATA: While referring to TMC supremo and Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s remark saying ‘’if anyone is sentenced with life-imprisonment on corruption charges, she won’t mind’’, the scam-tainted Partha Chatterjee, while leaving Kolkata airport on Tuesday morning quipped, “Thik bolechen (she’s right)”.
Sources in the TMC said Mamata’s remark was an indication of disowning Chatterjee. The ruling party started maintaining distance with its third-in-command after his arrest.
The Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) first day of interrogation of Trinamool Congress minister Partha Chatterjee into the teachers’ recruitment scam has resulted in the alleged unravelling of more malpractices.
The central agency claims to have recovered incriminating documents from Chatterjee’s south Kolkata residence during searches which indicate the former education minister’s involvement in the recruitment of teachers in primary school through the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET), other than the alleged scam in recruitment of teachers and group D staffs through the School Service Commission (SSC) in high schools.
“We found admit cards of candidates and results of applicants from the residence of Chatterjee. A letter-head of a former TMC MLA recommending names of five persons for jobs in schools was found in Chatterjee’s residence during the raid three days ago,” said an ED official.
Chatterjee, who underwent a medical examination at AIIMS Bhubaneswar following the high court’s order, was brought to Kolkata’s ED office in CGO Complex, Salt Lake, on Tuesday after doctors found his health parameters normal. He and Arpita Mukherjee, who was also arrested in connection with the same recruitment irregularities after cash of Rs 21.9 crore was recovered from her residence, were remanded to ED’s custody for 10 days by a special court in Kolkata.
Sources in the ED said a copy of revised results of the TET exam, 2012, was found at Chatterjee’s residence. ‘’We have evidence to prove the revised results were prepared on the basis of recommendations and in exchange of money,’’ said another official of the central agency.
There are allegations that names of incompetent applicants were placed in the revised list axing genuine qualified candidates and case related to it is pending in the Calcutta High Court.
While searching Chatterjee’s residence, the central agency found a letterhead of TMC’s former Moynaguri MLA in north Bengal’s Jalpaiguri district Anantadeb Adhikari in which names of five aspirants for jobs in schools were recommended.
Adhikari admitted that he had recommended the names. ‘’In 2016, during the tenure of Chatterjee as education minister, all MLAs in the districts were asked to recommend five names and this was why I did it,’’ he said.
In the list of seized items from Chatterjee’s house, the ED mentioned a number of properties in the name of Arpita, a close aide of the TMC minister, and private companies which the investigating agency suspects as shell companies.
Sources in the ED said Arpita is cooperating with the investigating officers while Chatterjee is trying to skip most of the questions.
Chatterjee’s arrest was followed by the recovery of cash Rs 21.9 crore, jewellery worth Rs 74 lakh and foreign currency worth Rs 54 lakh from Arpita’s house which the central agency suspects the proceeds of crime of the alleged irregularities.
The ED officials are yet to establish the origin of the recovered cash.
KOLKATA: While referring to TMC supremo and Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s remark saying ‘’if anyone is sentenced with life-imprisonment on corruption charges, she won’t mind’’, the scam-tainted Partha Chatterjee, while leaving Kolkata airport on Tuesday morning quipped, “Thik bolechen (she’s right)”.
Sources in the TMC said Mamata’s remark was an indication of disowning Chatterjee. The ruling party started maintaining distance with its third-in-command after his arrest.
The Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) first day of interrogation of Trinamool Congress minister Partha Chatterjee into the teachers’ recruitment scam has resulted in the alleged unravelling of more malpractices.
The central agency claims to have recovered incriminating documents from Chatterjee’s south Kolkata residence during searches which indicate the former education minister’s involvement in the recruitment of teachers in primary school through the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET), other than the alleged scam in recruitment of teachers and group D staffs through the School Service Commission (SSC) in high schools.
“We found admit cards of candidates and results of applicants from the residence of Chatterjee. A letter-head of a former TMC MLA recommending names of five persons for jobs in schools was found in Chatterjee’s residence during the raid three days ago,” said an ED official.
Chatterjee, who underwent a medical examination at AIIMS Bhubaneswar following the high court’s order, was brought to Kolkata’s ED office in CGO Complex, Salt Lake, on Tuesday after doctors found his health parameters normal. He and Arpita Mukherjee, who was also arrested in connection with the same recruitment irregularities after cash of Rs 21.9 crore was recovered from her residence, were remanded to ED’s custody for 10 days by a special court in Kolkata.
Sources in the ED said a copy of revised results of the TET exam, 2012, was found at Chatterjee’s residence. ‘’We have evidence to prove the revised results were prepared on the basis of recommendations and in exchange of money,’’ said another official of the central agency.
There are allegations that names of incompetent applicants were placed in the revised list axing genuine qualified candidates and case related to it is pending in the Calcutta High Court.
While searching Chatterjee’s residence, the central agency found a letterhead of TMC’s former Moynaguri MLA in north Bengal’s Jalpaiguri district Anantadeb Adhikari in which names of five aspirants for jobs in schools were recommended.
Adhikari admitted that he had recommended the names. ‘’In 2016, during the tenure of Chatterjee as education minister, all MLAs in the districts were asked to recommend five names and this was why I did it,’’ he said.
In the list of seized items from Chatterjee’s house, the ED mentioned a number of properties in the name of Arpita, a close aide of the TMC minister, and private companies which the investigating agency suspects as shell companies.
Sources in the ED said Arpita is cooperating with the investigating officers while Chatterjee is trying to skip most of the questions.
Chatterjee’s arrest was followed by the recovery of cash Rs 21.9 crore, jewellery worth Rs 74 lakh and foreign currency worth Rs 54 lakh from Arpita’s house which the central agency suspects the proceeds of crime of the alleged irregularities.
The ED officials are yet to establish the origin of the recovered cash.
