THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
New Delhi, Dec 13: In a money laundering case associated with the cash-for-job, the Supreme Court on Friday granted conditional future bail to former West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee.
A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan directed that Chatterjee be released on February 1, 2025, provided the trial court frames charges before the winter break and vulnerable witnesses are examined by mid to late January 2025.
The Supreme Court ruled that after his release, Chatterjee cannot hold any public office but may continue serving as an MLA.
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The bench stated that a suspect cannot be held indefinitely, emphasizing the need to balance the rights of both the accused and the victims.
Chatterjee was arrested for his alleged involvement in irregularities related to the recruitment of teaching and non-teaching staff in primary schools sponsored and aided by the West Bengal government.
The ED arrested Chatterjee and his purported close aide, Arpita Mukherjee, while investigating the money trail in the alleged illegal recruitments.
The ED stated that it recovered Rs 49.80 crore in cash, along with jewelry, gold bars, property documents, and records of a jointly held company, from flats owned by Mukherjee.
