Former West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee, who was arrested in connection with the alleged school recruitment scam, has once again come under scrutiny after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a chargesheet against him and his close associate Arpita Mukherjee.
Group C and Group D posts sold according to fixed “rate chart”
The ED submitted the chargesheet on Monday, alleging that appointments to Group C and Group D posts in the School Service Commission (SSC) were allegedly sold according to a fixed “rate chart”.
According to the investigating agency, candidates allegedly had to pay ₹15–16 lakh for Group C posts, while the alleged rate for Group D posts was ₹10–12 lakh. The ED has further alleged that candidates were given higher ranks in exchange for money and that OMR sheets were allegedly manipulated to facilitate appointments.
Partha, Arpita named in ED chargesheet
The chargesheet names former minister Partha Chatterjee and Arpita Mukherjee. The names of alleged middlemen Kuntal Ghosh and Prasanna Roy have also been included in the chargesheet. Chatterjee had spent around three-and-a-half years in jail in connection with the cases before being released on bail last November after securing bail in all the cases against him.
Chargesheet could bring renewed legal complications
Arpita Mukherjee, from whose flats investigators had earlier recovered a large amount of cash during the investigation, is also currently out on bail. The latest chargesheet could bring renewed legal complications for Chatterjee and Mukherjee as the investigation into the alleged SSC recruitment irregularities continues.