The Calcutta High Court has recently reprimanded both the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for their slow pace in investigating the alleged involvement of Trinamool Congress leader, Abhishek Banerjee, in the West Bengal Teachers Recruitment Scam.
A single bench of Justice Amrita Sinha expressed her dissatisfaction with the ongoing probe conducted by the central agencies.
During the proceedings, Deputy Solicitor General Billwadal Bhattacharya presented a status report of the investigation in a sealed envelope. He informed the bench about the progress made in the probe and outlined the future course of action planned by the central agencies. However, the report failed to impress the bench.
“There is no substantial development at all,” the single bench remarked.
In response to the concerns raised during the proceedings, the Deputy Solicitor General (DSG) addressed the specific aspect of the investigation pertaining to Abhishek Banerjee and Kuntal Ghosh, another accused who had been arrested. Ghosh claimed that he was facing harassment and pressure to implicate the TMC general secretary in the case.
Proceeding further, the bench officially recorded the status report, while acknowledging that the ongoing probe was moving at an extremely slow pace.
“There has been no substantial development in the probe, which is presently moving at a snail’s pace,” Justice Sinha stated.
Subsequently, the bench sought to know about the progress made in the investigation being conducted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
However, the counsel representing the anti-money laundering agency informed the bench that a status report had already been filed during a previous hearing.
To this, the judge stated, “Even the last report was unsatisfactory, to say the least.”
Nevertheless, the ED counsel asserted that the agency is actively investigating the money trail associated with the case.
Recognizing the significance of this aspect, given the involvement of approximately ₹300 crore, the bench raised doubts regarding the competence of the ED officers to handle the case.
“But are your (ED) officers competent enough to probe this case?” Justice Sinha asked.
In response, the counsel assured the bench that there would be some progress in the investigation and promised to submit a fresh status report by the next scheduled hearing.
Consequently, the single bench scheduled the matter for further hearing on 14th July, 2023.
