The Supreme Court granted additional time to Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Manik Bhattacharya in relation to the West Bengal Teachers’ Recruitment Scam. Bhattacharya was seeking an extension to respond to the allegations against him in the scam. The case involves accusations of irregularities and corruption in the recruitment of teachers in West Bengal. Bhattacharya’s request for more time was considered by the court, which has allowed him the opportunity to provide his defense.
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New Delhi: Today (April 18): The Supreme Court extended the deadline for TMC MLA Manik Bhattacharya to submit additional supporting documents for his bail application in a case related to alleged irregularities in the recruitment of primary school teachers in West Bengal.
A bench comprising justices Bela M Trivedi and Pankaj Mithal granted Bhattacharya’s request to file certain documents on record and scheduled the next hearing in two weeks’ time.
Senior advocate Siddharth Luthra, representing Bhattacharya, informed the court that his client is not an accused in the main CBI case. The Supreme Court acknowledged this fact and allowed the senior counsel to present the additional documents at a later date.
READ ALSO: Kolkata HC pulls up CBI for the second time in recruitment scam
The arrest of Bhattacharya, a former chairman of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education, took place on October 11 last year by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) following a night-long interrogation. The MLA was taken into custody for allegedly obstructing the investigation.
On December 15, 2023, the Supreme Court issued a notice to the ED in response to Bhattacharya’s appeal against a November 16 decision by the Calcutta High Court, which had rejected his bail application.
The High court, in its order, stated,
“Considering the ongoing investigation, the number of victims involved, and the accused person’s influential position in the state administrative level and education department, his release at this stage could impact the investigation.
The Hon’ble Division Bench set a deadline of December 31, 2023, to conclude the investigation being conducted by the ED.
Given the petitioner’s means, position, and gravity of the offense, as well as the advanced stage of the investigation, I believe that this is not an appropriate case for granting bail.”
Previously, the Supreme Court dismissed Bhattacharya’s plea against his arrest by the ED, emphasizing that the agency’s actions were lawful. However, on February 16, the court granted bail to Bhattacharya’s son, Souvik, in a money laundering case connected to the West Bengal teachers’ recruitment scandal.
