W. Bengal Recruitment Scam: HC Issues Media Coverage Guidelines

The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday issued guidelines for media coverage concerning Trinamool Congress General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee and other similarly placed suspects in the recruitment scam.

The court emphasized that media reporting must be impartial, distinguishing between news reports and opinion pieces while refraining from making baseless allegations against accused individuals. The Court further directed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) not to disclose suspects’ details before filing charge sheets or provide information about interrogations and raids to the media.

Both the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) have issued summons to Abhishek Banerjee in connection with an alleged scam involving illicit appointments of teachers and non-teaching staff in state-run schools. Assets valued at over Rs 126 crore have been attached in this case.

The ED has also arrested former West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee, his alleged associate Arpita Mukherjee, TMC MLA and former President of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education Manik Bhattacharya, TMC youth wing leaders Kuntal Ghosh and Santanu Banerjee, and Ayan Sil in this case. The ED has filed a total of five charge sheets under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Partha Chatterjee was suspended by the TMC following his arrest by the ED.

In response to a summons, Abhishek Banerjee appeared before the ED office in Kolkata on September 13 in connection with the case. The summons came after the central investigative agency conducted raids at the office of ‘Leaps and Bounds Pvt Ltd,’ which was alleged to have engaged in suspicious transactions worth crores of rupees. The ED claimed that Banerjee is the company’s chief executive officer.

Furthermore, the ED questioned Rujira Banerjee, Abhishek Banerjee’s wife, on October 11 regarding alleged irregularities in recruitments at state-aided schools. This marked the first time the ED summoned Rujira in connection with the teachers’ recruitment scam, as she had previously been interrogated in relation to money laundering associated with coal pilferage.