We've woken up the last couple of days to mountains of cash adorning our social media feeds. News channels have also run agog on the incredible treasures being retrieved from the house of the accomplice of one of TMC's senior-most ministers, Partha Chatterjee. The alleged scam he wove possibly robbed hundreds of people from landing positions at government-run and aided schools in West Bengal. Here's all you need to know about how the scam came to be and where the investigation is headed towards.
What was the scam all about?
In 2016 the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) carried out the recruitment process for teachers in government schools in the state. The notification for the posts had been given in 2014. Partha Chatterjee was the Minister-in-Charge for Higher Education and School Education in the Trinamool Congress-run government in state, and it was under his supervision that the State Level Selection Test (SLST) was conducted to appoint the teachers. After the exam, petitions were filed in the Calcutta High Court claiming irregularities in the process. For instance, petitioners claimed that candidates with low marks featured on the merit list, and in fact, some who did not even make it to the list were sent appointment letters. Among these alleged illegal appointments was that of TMC MLA Paresh Adhikari's daughter Ankita Adhikari as a teacher in a government school in 2018.
In 2014, the Teachers Eligibility Test was conducted to appoint Assistant Teachers in primary schools. Petitions claimed that the appointment of more than 200 teachers was illegal because they did not actually qualify the exam, and were taken on board despite leaving blank answer scripts with only their details mentioned.
Also, in 2016, the SSC began the recruitment of about 13,000 Group D staff in government-run schools. The problem with this recruitment was that the panel responsible for selecting the staff was supposed to have completed its tenure in 2019. However, petitions in the High Court alleged that more than 500 people were appointed by this panel after its term had expired.
How did the scam come to light?
According to a report by LiveLaw, the case first broke through a tweet by former CBI Additional Director, Upendranath Biswas, who was in charge of the fodder scam investigation in Bihar, that led to the arrest of former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav. Biswas, in a social media post, declared the name of a lynchpin in this recruitment scam "racket". Additionally, the case of Ankita Adhikari broke when Babita Sarkar, an aspirant for the post of a teacher in a government-run school, missed the cut by just one rank, when Ankita Adhikari was awarded the top rank despite not appearing for the interview. Sarkar filed a petition in the High Court, which ordered the removal of Adhikari from her post, and ordered Adhikari to refund the salary she had been collecting from the government.
Who were the accused?
Apart from Partha Chatterjee, who is currently the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Enterprise, Ministry for Information Technology and Electronics, and Ministry for Parliamentary Affairs in the TMC-run West Bengal cabinet, his close aide Arpita Mukherjee is also a prime accused in the case. Mukherjee is an actor and model who has appeared in Bengali and Odia films. During the course of questioning, the Enforcement Directorate has also called in yet another TMC Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA), Manik Bhattacharya, who was the President of the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education when the alleged scams were carried out.
How is the investigation going?
Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay of the Calcutta High Court ordered a CBI probe into the matter, and the Enforcement Directorate is also probing the money laundering aspect of the matter. On July 23, the ED arrested Partha Chatterjee in connection with the scam. They raided his house, where incriminating documents concerning the appointment of Group D staff at schools, and transfer of posts were discovered. Not only that, admit cards of candidates for the recruitment exams were also discovered.
The ED has also taken Arpita Mukherjee into custody, and it was from one of her flats that more than Rs 50 crore in cash was recovered, along with 20 mobile phones, Rs 50 lakh in dollars, gold worth Rs 70 lakh, and other incriminating documents. During the CBI investigation, the court also ordered the removal of Ankita Adhikari from her post after it came to light that she had been appointed to the post without giving the required interview to the state's Higher Secondary Board.
What is the Trinamool Congress and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Bannerjee saying?
Partha Chatterjee was often touted as the right-hand man of CM Mamata Bannerjee. He was also one of the senior-most members of the TMC. However, both the TMC and Mamata Bannerjee have distanced themselves from the accused. Bannerjee has said that she has no qualms ensuring the allegedly corrupt officials get the strictest punishment even if they are from her own party. However, she has warned the Opposition against tarnishing her name in this matter.
