Teachers Recruitment Scam: SC Grants Time to Jailed TMC MLA Manik Bhattacharya to File Docs

The Supreme Court on Thursday granted TMC MLA Manik Bhattacharya time to present additional documents supporting his bail plea in a case concerning alleged irregularities in the recruitment of primary school teachers in West Bengal.

The bench

A bench comprising justices Bela M Trivedi and Pankaj Mithal considered senior advocate Siddharth Luthra’s submissions, representing Bhattacharya, who sought to file certain documents on record.

“The senior counsel seeks time to file on records some additional documents. List it after two weeks,” the bench stated.

Enforcement Directorate

Bhattacharya, former chairman of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on October 11 last year following a night-long interrogation.

The Palashipara MLA was arrested for purportedly failing to cooperate with the investigation.

On December 15, 2023, the apex court had served notice to the ED on Bhattacharya’s appeal against a November 16 Calcutta High Court decision rejecting his bail plea.

“The high court had said in its order that considering the ongoing investigation, the number of victims involved, and the accused person’s influential status, his release would impact the investigation stage, especially since the investigation by the ED is set to conclude by December 31, 2023,” the statement read.

“The Supreme Court had previously dismissed Bhattacharya’s plea against his ED arrest, noting that the agency’s action was not illegal,” it added.

Bail to Souvik Bhattacharya

On February 16, the top court granted bail to Bhattacharya’s son Souvik in a money laundering case linked to the West Bengal teachers’ recruitment “scam.”

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