Partha Chatterjee Walks Free: Former Minister Released After Over Three-Year Detention

Former West Bengal Education Minister, Partha Chatterjee, was released on bail after being detained for over three years in connection with a recruitment scam. The Supreme Court earlier directed the West Bengal government to sanction prosecution. The enforcement agencies had unearthed Rs 21 crore from an associate's house.

Partha Chatterjee, former Education Minister of West Bengal, has been granted bail and released after serving more than three years in custody. His arrest was linked to a scam involving teacher recruitment, overseen by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED). After his release, Chatterjee returned to his residence in Naktala.

His health complications led to his transfer from Presidency Jail to RN Tagore Hospital in Kolkata. The Supreme Court, in May, had instructed the West Bengal government to authorize the prosecution of Chatterjee and other accused in the state's cash-for-jobs scandal.

The scam involved around 26,000 recruitments by the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC). The Calcutta High Court declared the recruitment illegal, a decision upheld by the Supreme Court, which criticized the operation as "tainted" and marked by "large-scale fraud". In July 2022, Chatterjee was arrested, with the ED recovering over Rs 21 crore in cash from an associate's home. This led to Chatterjee's suspension from the TMC party.

(With inputs from agencies.)