New Delhi : The original case of School Service Commission (SSC) and primary TET corruption against him is of CBI. After a few days of intense activity by the ED or Enforcement Directorate, the CBI has started preparations to interrogate the former Education Minister Partha Chatterjee, who is in jail now. Similarly, they want to interrogate Partha’s ‘Intimate Friend’ Arpita Mukherjee also. According to sources, CBI is investigating the main case related to allegations of widespread corruption in school recruitment on the orders of the court and in connection with that case, Partha and Arpita will be taken into the custody of the central agency by applying to the special court.
In 2015, the ED had first arrested Goutam Kundu, the head of the illegal money investment firm Rose Valley, on charges of looting depositors’ money and laundering the money abroad. Later CBI took him into custody. Goutam and his wife Shubhra are currently in jail custody. The investigation report is being submitted to the court phase by phase.
On the orders of Calcutta High Court Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay, nine cases have been registered so far in connection with illegal sale of jobs in the posts of ‘Group C’ and ‘Group D’ i.e. Class III and IV employees of the SSC, primary TET, and schools. Based on those cases, the ED has been conducting a parallel investigation by filing a case on its own initiative since last April. Mainly in recruitment scams, the money transacted, its source and where the money went are the subject of ED investigation. Around 50 crore in cash, 11 kg of gold jewelery and several foreign currencies were seized from various flats of Arpita. A huge amount of property was found in the name of Partha and Arpita’s joint venture. Money laundering, foreign currency transactions, gold jewelery found in Arpita’s house have been found to have foreign links.
The CBI claims that during the past 10 years, investigations have revealed that government jobs have been sold through various groups and sub-groups of the state education department. Legal process is underway to recover all documents of illegal recruitment and verify them. A lot of evidence of job selling has already come to the hands of the CBI by interrogating the lawyers of those who filed the case.
CBI investigators claim that not only Partha-Arpita is involved in this case, the roots of corruption are very deep. Various influential people like Partha who are involved in it, have got many important links. A number of female officers of the education department, including ministers-close officials, are involved in the corruption ring. Investigators said several other women close to Partha were also involved.
CBI claims that the recruitment process was carried out illegally even when educational institutions were closed due to Corona. A lot of evidence has already come to hand about the reckless sale of government jobs since 2012. The Principal Secretary of the Education Department in his statement in the Bagh Committee Report has mentioned Partha as the main regulator of illegal recruitment. After that, the ED arrested Parth-Arpita.
Bureau Report
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