Teacher recruitment scam: Partha, Arpita's judicial custody extended by 14 days

Kolkata, Sep 14 (IANS) A special court of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday extended former West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee and his close associate Arpita Mukherjee's judicial custody by 14 more days for their alleged involvement in the multi-crore teacher recruitment scam in West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC).

The matter will be heard next on September 28.

Although the hearing on Wednesday was concluded by 5.30 pm, the judge of the special court reserved the judgement. Finally, at around 8 pm, he gave the order directing additional 14 days of judicial custody for the accused.

Earlier in the day, during the course of hearing, Partha Chatterjee, who attended the hearing virtually, broke into tears and pleaded for bail under any condition.

"Sir, please have mercy on me. Let me leave in peace. Please understand that I am a victim of a conspiracy," he told the judge of the court, sobbing profusely.

However, all his appeals did not have any impact on the judge as is evident from the verdict on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, a team of ED officials on Wednesday went to the BCM International School at Pingla in West Midnapore district, which is named under Partha Chatterjee's deceased wife, Babli Chatterjee.

Partha Chatterjee's son-in-law, Kalyanmoy Bhattacharya, who is currently in the US, is the chairman of the school and the latter's maternal uncle, Krishna Chandra Adhikari, is a director of the school.

ED sleuths suspect that a portion of the proceeds of the WBSSC recruitment irregularities were invested behind this school. A couple of companies with Kalyanmoy Bhattacharya and Krishna Chandra Adhikari as the directors are also under the scanner of the central agency sleuths.