CBI files FIR against WB minister for daughter’s ‘illegal job posting’
HT Correspondent
KOLKATA: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday questioned West Bengal minister Paresh Chandra Adhikary in connection with a case of alleged illegal recruitment of his daughter as a school teacher in 2018. He was questioned for around three hours at CBI’S Nizam Palace office, before being released at 10.30pm, said a senior officer familiar with the development.
The central agency also filed a first information report (FIR) against Adhikary, the minister of state for education, after he failed to meet the 3pm deadline set by the Calcutta high court for appearance before CBI. The minister, along with his daughter, was “booked under sections 420 (cheating and dishonesty) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) besides sections of Prevention of Corruption Act”, said another officer.
CBI, following orders of the high court, has been probing a number of cases where teaching and non-teaching staff were allegedly appointed illegally in schools following recommendations by the state’s School Service Commission (SSC).
comes a day after former education minister and Trinamool Congress leader Partha Chatterjee was questioned by CBI in connection with the SSC recruitment irregularities. He moved the Supreme Court on Thursday challenging the HC order that denied him protection from facing CBI.
On Thursday, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were deployed at the SSC office in Kolkata following the single bench of Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay ordered it late on Wednesday night. The court banned officials from entering the SSC office till 1pm on Thursday. Later, it allowed some senior SSC officials, including its chairman and assistant secretary, to enter the building. As per the court’s order, CCTV footage of the SSC’S office from Wednesday was also submitted before it.
The order came after a petitioner raised apprehensions that evidence could be tampered with as names of two ministers have bene implicated in the case.
On Thursday, HC directed the minister to appear before CBI by 3pm, but his lawyer submitted that he was in Cooch Behar in north Bengal and would travel to Kolkata by air in the evening. Justice Gangopadhyay asked the Bidhannagar police to take him to CBI office as soon as he lands.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday defended her government. “If someone makes a mistake, they should be given an opportunity to rectify it,” she said while addressing party workers in Jhargram district. “The BJP... are maligning Bengal because they could not win the elections... Every important institution has been filled with BJP’S people...,” she said.
BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya, refuted, saying: “The HC ordered Adhikary to appear before CBI by 8pm on Tuesday. On Thursday, he was asked to appear before the agency by 3pm. We came to know from media that he didn’t turn up. If CBI has filed an FIR, they would be able to comment on it. But we assume everything has been done according to law.”
Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said: “He should be sent to jail. It’s a shame for the state that he has not resigned.”