School job scam: Court reserves order on ED plea for custody of Bengal minister, his 'aide'

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday prayed for 14 days' custody of arrested West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee before a special court of the agency, pointing out that AIIMS-Bhubaneswar, after a check-up, has ruled out active health intervention.

The agency, which is probing alleged money trail in a school recruitment scam, also pleaded for his “close associate” Arpita Mukherjee's custody for 13 days.

Special court judge Jibon Kumar Sadhu reserved order on the prayers. The ED, in its submission, said that Chatterjee had taken admission in Bengal government-run SSKM hospital “faking illness” and the agency could not question him during the two-day remand granted by a chief metropolitan magistrate on Saturday.

The Calcutta High Court had on Sunday directed that Chatterjee be taken to AIIMS-Bhubaneswar by an air ambulance for a health check-up.

Citing the report of AIIMS-Bhubaneswar, which was submitted to the court, additional solicitor general SV stated that his vital parameters like blood pressure and oxygen saturation level were within limits, and that no active intervention was required.

Opposing the prayer of ED, Chatterjee's lawyer pleaded for his bail.

Mukherjee 's counsel prayed that a short custody be given for her and that her security be ensured in the wake of Sunday 's accident, when a vehicle hit a car of the convoy ferrying her from court to the agency’s CGO complex.