Cash-for-jobs case: Relief to Partha Chatterjee, SC grants bail, sets deadline over charge framing issue

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday granted relief to former West Bengal education minister Partha Chatterjee in a money laundering case related to recruitment irregularities and directed that to release him on bail from February 1 in a money laundering case related to recruitment irregularities or if the framing of charges and vulnerable witnesses are examined before.
A bench of justice Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan also asked the trial court to decide on framing of charges this month and complete the recording of vulnerable witnesses' statements in January 2025.
Setting the deadline on the crucial stage of the proceedings, the top court directed the trial court to decide on the framing of charges before the commencement of winter vacations or before December 31, 2024, whichever is earlier.
The Court also directed to complete the process of recording of the vulnerable prosecution witnesses by the end of January 2025. The top court made it clear that after completion of these steps, Chatterjee can be released on bail but also clarified that Partha Chatterjee can't be kept in custody beyond February 1, 2025.
Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi for Chatterjee stressed the top court for granting bail to his client which was strongly opposed by the Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, appearing for the Enforcement Directorate in the case.
The top court was hearing Partha Chatterjee's bail plea in a case related to cash-for-jobs recruitment irregularities.
Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, who appeared for Chatterjee said that he is inside jail in the matter for a long time and sought bail on the parity that other accused were out on bail.
The top court in the previous hearing noted the trial, in the money laundering case related to irregularities of recruitment of primary teachers, against Partha Chatterjee, an MLA and former West Bengal education minister, is yet to start and hundreds of witnesses are supposed to be examined.
Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, appearing for the Enforcement Directorate, had opposed Partha Chatterjee bail plea in the case and said that charges were serious in nature and huge amounts of cash were seized.
The top court was also informed that Partha is undergoing judicial custody in another case being probed by the CBI.
In July 2022, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested the former West Bengal Education Minister and TMC leader Partha Chatterjee in connection with the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) teacher recruitment scam. Chatterjee was previously lodged at the Presidency Correctional Home in May this year.
The Enforcement Directorate had earlier recovered over Rs 21 crore in cash from the house of an associate of West Bengal Minister Partha Chatterjee.
TMC had suspended Partha Chatterjee, arrested in the teacher recruitment scam in the state, from the party and removed him from all the party posts.
Earlier Calcutta High Court had recently directed the CBI to carry out investigations into the recruitment scam of Group 'C' & 'D' staff, Assistant Teachers of classes IX-XII and primary teachers. In these cases, involving the illegal appointment of non-teaching staff (Group C & D), teaching staff. ED is investigating cases under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA).