Minister Chandranath Sinha surrendered before the ED court over irregularities in school jobs. Despite the ED seeking his custody, the court granted him bail on conditions, restricting his travel and ensuring full cooperation with the ongoing investigation.
West Bengal minister Chandranath Sinha surrendered to an Enforcement Directorate (ED) court in Kolkata on Saturday as part of the investigation into alleged irregularities in primary school recruitment, according to agency officials.
Sinha, who manage micro, small, and medium enterprises and textiles in the state, appeared before the special ED court and surrendered in compliance with court orders.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) sought his custody for interrogation, but the plea was rejected. Bail was granted to Chandranath on a personal bond of Rs.10,000.
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The court ruled that while bail was granted, Sinha would not be permitted to leave his assembly constituency or Kolkata for the time being.
An ED official reported, citing the court order,
“He must cooperate with the investigation. These conditions must be followed until the hearings related to the case are concluded,”.
Sinha’s legal counsel stated that the minister surrendered to show respect for the judicial process and has been cooperating with the investigation. He has been under scrutiny by the ED for some time in connection with a significant case involving alleged fund misappropriation.
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The court stated that even though bail was granted, the minister will not be allowed to travel anywhere outside his constituency and Kolkata for the time being. He must cooperate with the investigation. This restriction will remain in force until the related hearings are concluded.
ED’s lawyer Dheeraj Dwivedi said,
“We had filed a plea for custody. We had sought his custody for seven days. The hearing on that will take place on the 16th. Until then, he cannot travel anywhere outside Kolkata and his constituency.”
The agency intends to question Sinha further in the following days to clarify his involvement in the case.
Although no formal arrest has occurred yet, the court may impose interim measures, including bail conditions or custody, based on the ED’s submissions.
Last month, a special court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) instructed Sinha to appear in person and surrender by September 12 in response to ED summons.
Earlier, A special PMLA court in Kolkata has made a ruling regarding the case against Minister Sinha.
Previously, Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials conducted searches at Sinha’s residence in Bolpur, where they discovered Rs.41 lakh in cash.
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Although Sinha had missed two earlier summons from the agency, he unexpectedly appeared at the ED office in August. It is still uncertain whether he was questioned at that time, as a chargesheet had already been submitted.
The case against Sinha is linked to information found in a diary belonging to Kuntal Ghosh, a suspended Trinamool Congress leader accused of being a middleman in a recruitment scandal. Investigators are also examining Sinha’s alleged connections to Anubrata Mondal, the TMC’s Birbhum strongman, who is currently under investigation by multiple central agencies.