Arrest Warrant Issued Against TMC Member Amid Recruitment Scandal

A West Medinipur court has issued an arrest warrant for Sumit Roy, aide to TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee, as part of the ongoing investigation into the alleged multi-crore Primary Teachers Recruitment scam in West Bengal. ED and CBI are probing irregularities and financial misconduct linked to the appointments.

A court in West Medinipur has reportedly issued an arrest warrant for Sumit Roy, personal assistant to Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Abhishek Banerjee, according to police sources. This development is part of an ongoing investigation into the alleged multi-crore Primary Teachers Recruitment scam in West Bengal.

Abhishek Banerjee, the TMC National General Secretary, appeared at the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office for questioning regarding this matter. Earlier, he had been summoned by the central agency to join the probe that explores irregularities in the recruitment process of primary teachers, which has faced scrutiny for financial misconduct and procedural violations.

This investigation follows actions by the ED, which in January attached properties totaling roughly Rs 57.78 crore under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. This is linked to the West Bengal Central School Service Commission Assistant Teacher Recruitment Scam. A previous arrest in the case involved former Education Minister Partha Chatterjee, after substantial cash and gold were seized in the cash-for-jobs scandal.

The Supreme Court judgment on April 3, 2025, voided the appointment of over 25,000 teaching and non-teaching staff, condemning the recruitment process. The ED filed an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, while the CBI has registered a case under several IPC sections, including the Prevention of Corruption Act.