The Supreme Court on Monday has dismissed the appeals filed by TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee and his wife, Rujira Banerjee, challenging the Enforcement Directorate’s summons in connection with an alleged school jobs scam.
The ED claims the Banerjees are involved in a multi-crore scam related to teacher recruitment in West Bengal.
The couple had objected to the ED’s demand that they appear in New Delhi, arguing that they should be summoned in Kolkata, where they reside. However, a bench of Justices Bela Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma rejected their plea. The verdict was reserved on August 13.
The ED had named Banerjee in a chargesheet filed in June last year. According to the agency, a person who allegedly paid money to Trinamool Congress leaders for a teaching job claimed that the funds were passed through Kuntal Ghosh to Sujay Krishna Bhadra. Bhadra, a leader of Yuva Trinamool, handled financial matters for Banerjee during his tenure as president of the All India Trinamool Youth Congress.
The ED also alleges that Banerjee’s wife, Rujira, was a director of a private company used to divert illicit funds in the scam. Both Abhishek and Rujira have been questioned by the agency regarding the matter.
Banerjee is currently being investigated by the ED in multiple cases, including alleged recruitment irregularities in West Bengal schools and a coal pilferage scam involving Eastern Coalfields mines near Asansol.
