Teacher recruitment scam: Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee hospitalised after ED remand

Soon after his ED remand, Chatterjee was admitted to the Intensive Coronary Care Unit (ICCU) of the state-run SSKM Hospital where he had been taken as per a court directive.

After Chatterjee complained of indisposition, a six-member medical board was constituted for his treatment.

The ED has also arrested Arpita Mukherjee, whom the central probe agency described as a "close associate" of the minister, and claimed that over Rs 20 crore cash was received from her residence on Friday. She was currently being grilled at the ED office in Salt Lake CGO Complex.

State Commerce and Industries Minister Chatterjee, was arrested from his residence around 10 am on Saturday after a marathon 27-hour ED iterrogation. He was presented before the Bankshall Court in the afternoon under tight security.

The ED lawyers pleaded for 14-day ED custody, while Chatterjee's counsels argued for his bail. After hearing both sides, the judge ordered that Chatterjee be kept in ED custody till Monday.

Chatterjee's counsels also presented his medical records and pleaded that he be admitted to the state-run SSKM Hospital. Chatterjee had complained of indisposition a couple of times during his interrogation since Friday morning and was examined by doctors from SSKM.

The judge directed that Chatterjee be taken to SSKM for medical examination and asked the hospital authorities to submit a report regarding his health condition on Monday.

Chatterjee was the state education minister when the controversial recruitments to the posts of non-teaching and teaching staff of primary and secondary schools were made.

The central agency arrested the minister allegedly for not cooperating with its officials and failing to provide satisfactory replies to the posers, including those related to the recovery of the huge amount of cash from Mukherjee's flat, sources said.

Chatterjee, the powerful secretary general of the Trinamool Congress and confidante of chief minister Mamata Banerjee, was taken to the ESI hospital in Joka for medical tests after his arrest.

The minister, a five-time legislator who served as leader of the opposition between 2006 and 2011, said he tried to contact the state chief minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee but could not get through to her.

"I tried, but could not contact her," said Chatterjee, replying to a specific query from journalists.

Earlier, after his arrest at around 10 am, Chatterjee was driven in a convoy, escorted by central forces, for more than an hour, triggering suspense about the ultimate destination.

The raids had started on Friday morning at Chatterjee's house as also the premises of his close associates and relatives in various parts of the state.

On Friday night the ED issued a statement claiming to have recovered approximately Rs 20 crore in cash, suspected to be the "proceeds of the School Service Commission (SSC) scam", from Arpita Mukherjee's South Kolkata apartment.

ED sleuths on Friday carried out simultaneous raids at the premises of a number of associates and close relatives of Chatterjee - including that of his son-in-law Kalyanmay Bhattacharya - in various parts of the state.

Search operations were also conducted at the residence of the incumbent minister of state for education Paresh Chandra Adhikari in Mekhliganj of Cooch Behar district in North Bengal.

Besides, the residence of a ruling Trinamool Congress MLA Manik Bhattacharya, a former president of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education Board, and the premises of a number of current and former officials was raided over their alleged links to the scam.

According to the ED, apart from recovering the huge amount of cash in Rs 500 and Rs 2000 denomination currency notes, it also recovered 20 mobile phones from Arpita Mukherjee, "purpose and use of which is being ascertained".

On Saturday, the money was put into 40 trunks by Reserve Bank of India officials and taken away. ED has already confiscated the money.

Reports said foreign currency worth Rs 54 lakh was also found in Mukherjee's flat.

However, Mukherjee claimed she had done no wrong and was being framed by the BJP.

"I have not done any wrong. This is a BJP ploy. I am being framed," she said, as ED officials led her away after her arrest.

The Calcutta High Court in a slew of writ petitions had in April directed the CBI to carry out an investigation into the recruitment scam of Group ‘C’ & ‘D’ staff, assistant teachers of classes IX-XII, and primary teachers.

"In these cases, involving the illegal appointment of non-teaching staff (Group C & D), assistant teachers of Class IX-XII and teachers in Primary school, ED is investigating cases under Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002," the ED said.

(With UNI inputs)