[West Bengal Teachers’ Recruitment Scam] Manik's Bail Plea, SC Referred To Cal HC

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The Supreme Court bench, presided by Justice Bela Trivedi, conducted a hearing on Friday to consider Manik Bhattacharya’s bail application. However, instead of granting bail, the apex court referred the case back to the Calcutta High Court. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) lawyers, representing the prosecution, expressed no objection to the referral, indicating their willingness to continue the proceedings in the High Court.

[West Bengal Teachers’ Recruitment Scam] Manik's Bail Plea, SC Referred To HC — [West Bengal Teachers’ Recruitment Scam] Manik’s Bail Plea, SC Referred To HC

NEW DELHI: On Friday (10th May): Manik Bhattacharya, the former president of the Primary Education Board and MLA, who was implicated in a recruitment corruption case, recently applied for bail in the Supreme Court after his initial plea was unresolved in the Calcutta High Court.

The Supreme Court had previously granted bail to Manik’s son, Sauvik Bhattacharya, in the same case. In his fresh bail application, Manik submitted several new documents, previously unsubmitted to the High Court, in support of his plea.

The Supreme Court bench, presided by Justice Bela Trivedi, conducted a hearing on 10th May, to consider Manik Bhattacharya’s bail application. However, instead of granting bail, the apex court referred the case back to the Calcutta High Court. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) lawyers, representing the prosecution, expressed no objection to the referral, indicating their willingness to continue the proceedings in the High Court.

However, the Supreme Court referred the case back to the High Court.

Background

In 2022, Manik Bhattacharya when he was arrested by the ED in connection with a corruption case involving primary teacher recruitment. Subsequently, Judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay of the Calcutta High Court ordered his removal from the position of council president.

Furthermore, Manik’s wife and son were also taken into custody in relation to the same case. While his wife, Shatrupa, obtained bail from the High Court, Sauvik secured bail from the Supreme Court. Nevertheless, Manik’s own bail application was referred back to the High Court.

The initial allegations against Manik Bhattacharya involved the recruitment of 325 job aspirants who allegedly passed despite failing the examination. It was alleged that Manik accepted one lakh rupees from these individuals, and an additional 10 candidates were unlawfully declared as successful.

During a recent court appearance, Manik claimed that the ED had not conducted a thorough investigation into the initial case. He also expressed a desire to review the results of the complainants who alleged they had failed the examination. In response, the ED’s lawyer clarified that their investigation primarily focused on financial corruption, while the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) possessed information regarding the recruitment process.

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