THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
Kolkata, Sept 26: The Calcutta High Court on Friday approved bail for former West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee in connection with irregularities in primary school recruitment, a case investigated by the CBI.
Chatterjee, the central figure in the multi-thousand-crore cash-for-jobs scam in state-run schools, has been in jail for over three years.
Under the court’s order, Chatterjee must surrender his passport, remain within the jurisdiction of the trial court, and appear on every scheduled hearing. Additionally, he cannot hold any public office while the trial is ongoing.
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Once the formalities of furnishing bail bonds are completed, he will be eligible for release.
However, legal experts doubt whether Chatterjee will be able to walk out of jail before the Durga Puja festival. A Supreme Court directive in a related CBI case requires the trial court to record statements of material witnesses, a process expected to resume only after the courts reopen following the puja vacations.
This is the latest of several bail orders for Chatterjee, who has already secured release in other cases filed by the ED and CBI. On August 18, the Supreme Court granted him bail in a related matter, observing that nearly three years of imprisonment would constitute a “travesty of justice.”
The top court also instructed the charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act to be framed within four weeks and witness statements recorded within two months.
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Chatterjee, a Trinamool Congress MLA, continues to face trial for his alleged role in the widespread teacher recruitment scam that has unsettled West Bengal politics over the past several years.
