In a significant development, the Calcutta High Court has granted immunity to Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Abhishek Banerjee, shielding him from any coercive action by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the West Bengal teachers’ recruitment scam.
Justice Tirthankar Ghosh, presiding over the case, observed that the ED had only presented a statement by a co-accused to associate Banerjee with the case. Beyond this, the judge found no substantial material linking Banerjee to the alleged scam. The court’s order stated,
“Having regard to the same I direct that no coercive measures would be taken against the petitioner by the E.D. without adhering to Section 19 of the PMLA, 2002 as explained in paragraph 39 of the judgment of the Hon’ble Supreme Court in V. Senthil Balaji –Vs. – State.”
It’s worth noting that Section 19 of the PMLA outlines the conditions under which an individual can be arrested in a money laundering case.
While the court provided relief to Banerjee by preventing any immediate coercive steps based on the ECIR (equivalent to FIR), it dismissed Banerjee’s plea to quash the ECIR altogether. Justice Ghosh clarified that the ED would continue its investigation as planned.
Responding to the High Court’s decision, West Bengal Minister of Women and Child Development and Social Welfare, Dr. Sashi Panja, commented,
“It is now clear from the order of the high court that Abhishek was a target. The main intention was to malign him and defame him. No solid evidence was found. It is clear that it was politically motivated and instigated. It is a clear example of vendetta politics.”
This development follows recent statements by Abhishek Banerjee, where he mentioned that both he and his wife had been summoned multiple times by the ED and CBI. He alleged repetitive questioning on matters they had already addressed. Banerjee, who had appeared before the ED in relation to the Bengal school jobs scam, criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), suggesting that
“those who can’t fight politically are using agencies.”
He had previously insinuated that the interrogation was an attempt to deter him from attending a crucial coordination committee meeting of the INDIA coalition, aimed at consolidating anti-BJP votes for the 2024 parliamentary elections.
