Bengal Governor nod to minister Chandranath Sinha's prosecution in recruitment scam

India Today

a day ago

West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose on Friday approved the prosecution of the state Correctional Services Minister, Chandranath Sinha, in connection with the school recruitment scam under investigation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), a Raj Bhawan source confirmed.'Based on the documents presented before him, the governor has sanctioned the prosecution of Chandranath Sinha, Minister in Charge, Government of West Bengal, for the offence of Money Laundering related to the Primary Teachers Recruitment Scam case,' said the source.advertisementThe ED has filed a chargesheet against Sinha in a special court. According to protocol, any investigating agency requires permission from the concerned governor to prosecute a sitting minister, as the governor is the appointing authority.
The investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, revealed the involvement of suspended TMC leader Partha Chatterjee, the then Education Minister, along with others, in a large-scale scam. Eligible and meritorious candidates were denied appointments as school teachers, while ineligible, lower-ranked and even failed candidates were recommended and appointed illegally in exchange for money.In January 2023, during a raid at the residence of suspended TMC youth leader Kuntal Ghosh, the ED seized incriminating documents that identified agents involved in facilitating the recruitment of ineligible candidates. One document specifically named Chandranath Sinha, a sitting MLA and minister, alleging that he had referred several candidates. Recorded statements indicated payments were made to agents, including Minister Sinha, to secure these appointments.A search at Sinha's residence also resulted in the recovery of Rs. 41 lakh in unaccounted cash. Following this, Sinha was summoned multiple times by the ED for questioning. An ED source revealed that approximately Rs 1.5 crore in cash deposits were made into Sinha's bank accounts between 2016 and 2021. When questioned, Sinha failed to satisfactorily explain the sources of the recovered cash and deposits.On Wednesday, the ED filed its sixth supplementary charge sheet in the primary teachers recruitment scam case. The 62-page document was submitted before the special court presided over by Judge Suvendu Saha. The charge sheet names 55 accused, including 26 individuals such as former Education Minister Partha Chatterjee, Arpita Mukherjee and Sujoy Krishna Bhadra. Bolpur MLA Chandranath Sinha is among the newly accused. The remaining 29 accused include various organisations linked to the scam, sources told India Today.According to investigation sources, Sinha acted as an agent in this corruption racket. His name is associated with 159 candidates for primary teacher posts. "It is clear from the statements of accused Kuntal Ghosh and Tapas Mandal that Chandranath Sinha recommended 159 candidates. These 159 candidates were appointed to the job in exchange for money," sources added.- EndsTune InMust Watch