Former Trinamool Congress (TMC) minister Partha Chatterjee, who was arrested in connection with the teacher recruitment scam case three years and three months ago, was released from jail on Monday after a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court ordered it.
The court also ordered the release of two other accused in the case, former West Bengal Staff Selection Committee (WBSSC) chairperson Subiresh Bhattacharya, and former WBSSC adviser Santi Prasad Sinha, The Indian Express reports.
The former education minister of West Bengal, who was arrested by two central agencies, the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), had previously obtained bail from both the Calcutta High Court and the Supreme Court.
In September of this year, the High Court granted Chatterjee conditional bail, but he was unable to leave jail due to a Supreme Court decision requiring charges to be filed and witness statements to be recorded in his outstanding cases.
On Monday, the final of the eight witnesses gave testimony, and the special CBI court ordered Chatterjee's release.
According to court reports, Chatterjee's lawyer has already posted the Rs 90,000 bail bond as ordered by the High Court. Chatterjee is currently confined to a private hospital in Kolkata.
On September 15, this year, the Calcutta High Court's single-judge bench of Justice Suvra Ghosh granted Partha Chatterjee conditional bail.
However, the bench also stated that Chatterjee would be unable to work as a Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA), must surrender his passport, submit his mobile number without changing it, cooperate with investigating agencies, and refrain from influencing or speaking with witnesses.
