The Supreme Court on Wednesday highlighted the delay in the trial of former West Bengal Education Minister and MLA Partha Chatterjee, who is facing charges in a money laundering case linked to recruitment irregularities for primary teachers.
The court observed that the trial had yet to commence and that hundreds of witnesses were still to be examined.
A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan noted that the trial would take time due to the number of witnesses involved. Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing Chatterjee, informed the court that his client had been in jail for nearly 2.5 years, with 183 witnesses in the case, and the trial had not yet started.
He also mentioned Chatterjee’s age, stating that he is 73 years old.
Opposing the bail plea, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, representing the Enforcement Directorate, emphasized the seriousness of the charges, citing the large amount of cash seized in the case.
The court acknowledged the gravity of the allegations and inquired about the status of the investigation. ASG Raju confirmed that a chargesheet had been filed.
Also, the court noted the low conviction rate in money laundering cases, adding to the seriousness of the matter. It was informed that Chatterjee was in judicial custody in another case under investigation by the CBI.
Court adjourned the bail hearing until December 2, requesting details on Chatterjee’s periods of judicial and police custody. The court also directed ASG Raju to confirm whether Chatterjee had been arrested a second time by the CBI.
The hearing was part of the ongoing legal proceedings in the case related to alleged cash-for-jobs recruitment irregularities.
