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An official of the federal agency who spoke on the condition of anonymity said that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday filed its first case against Manik Bhattacharya, a Trinamool Congress (TMC) legislator and former president of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education, in connection with the school recruitment case.
Before the first information report (FIR) was filed, Bhattacharya, who was detained by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in October 2022, was interrogated by CBI agents in Kolkata's Presidency correctional facility on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.
Bhattacharya has been accused of violating a number of laws, including the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Penal Code. Conspiracy, cheating, and forgery are among the charges, according to a CBI employee who asked to remain anonymous.
On Wednesday afternoon, a copy of the FIR was presented to Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay of the Calcutta High Court.
"A video camera was used to record the entire interrogation. The CBI official cited above continued, "During the subsequent hearing, the court will review the footage.
Justice Gangopadhyay ordered the CBI to look into the hiring of teaching personnel (Group C and D) and non-teaching employees (Group C) by the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education and the West Bengal School Service Commission between 2014 and 2021. After failing the screening examinations, the appointees allegedly paid bribes in the amount of $5 to $15 lakh to land jobs.
Partha Chatterjee, an MLA from Kolkata and the previous education minister was detained by the ED in July of last year when it was conducting a separate investigation. The ED detained Manik Bhattacharya, a lawmaker from Palashipara in Nadia, in October. The CBI detained Jiban Krishna Saha, a lawmaker from Barwan in Murshidabad, on April 17.
When the ED apprehended Partha Chatterjee and his close aide Arpita Mukherjee in July 2022, the suspicion that TMC leaders were involved in the case came to light. According to the ED's initial charge sheet, which was submitted on September 19 of last year, the pair was linked to cash, jewelry, and real estate totaling 103.10 crore.
