In its latest supplementary chargesheet in the West Bengal school jobs scam, the CBI has named one “Abhishek Banerjee” but not specified who he is. This has set the stage for the latest round of bickering between the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the BJP, with TMC second-in-command Abhishek Banerjee’s lawyer accusing the investigative agency of going on a “fishing expedition”.
Since the TMC’s victory in the 2021 Assembly polls, several leaders of the party — from Partha Chatterjee (subsequently expelled from the party) to Anubrata Mondal to Jyotipriya Mallick — have got arrested in corruption cases. But a majority of them are now out on bail.
What did the CBI say in its supplementary chargesheet?
Without elaborating on who the Abhishek Banerjee it names is, the CBI said in the chargesheet, filed last week, “Abhishek Banerjee demanded Rs 15 crores for the illegal appointment already done and when Sujay Krishna Bhadra express his inability to collect more money since the candidates had already paid Rs 6.50 lakhs each then Abhishek Banerjee told Sujay to stop their appointment else he would get those candidates arrested or get the candidates posted at distant places.”
What is the school jobs scam?
The CBI is investigating alleged irregularities in the appointment of primary schoolteachers who found themselves in the State Level Selection Test, or SLST, list in 2014. The recruitment process began two years later.
A series of petitions filed in the Calcutta High Court have alleged anomalies in the recruitment process, primarily that several examinees got into the list despite having lower scores than the petitioners. There were also allegations that some applicants who were not even on the merit list received appointment letters.
The court first ordered a CBI probe into recruitment for Group C and Group D recruitment in state-run schools and then expanded the scope of the probe to recruitments in all categories: primary, upper-primary, secondary, and higher secondary teachers. In March 2022, the High Court ordered a CBI investigation into the entire recruitment processes.
Who are persons of interest?
A report submitted by the Justice Ranjit Bag committee, which the High Court had set up, first named former West Bengal Education minister Partha Chatterjee, alleging that he approved an “illegal” supervisory committee mandated with supervising and guiding the central panel of the School Service Commission (SSC), stacking it with his close associates.
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The report said the constitution of the committee was “invalid in the eyes of law”. It added that “persons who are the members of the supervisory committee are connected with the school education department and closely connected with Hon’ble MIC (Minister in charge) Dr Partha Chatterjee.”
Based on the report, the CBI began its investigation and in its chargesheet accused Chatterjee of indulging in fraudulent practices and arrested him on July 22, 2022.
The agency subsequently arrested TMC MLAs Manik Bhattacharya and Jiban Krishna Saha, TMC youth leader Kuntal Ghosh, and several SSC officials. On May 31, 2023, the ED arrested Sujay Krishna Bhadra, believed to be close to Abhishek, in connection with its own probe into the alleged irregularities.
After conducting searches at premises linked to Bhadra in August 2023, the ED alleged that a company, Leaps and Bounds Private Limited, where he served as the Chief Operating Officer, was used for “making dubious transactions running into crores of rupees”.
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The agency added, “Bhadra was also a director in this company from April 2012 to March 2016. Abhishek Banerjee, MP from TMC, is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of M/s Leaps and Bounds Private Limited and was also a director in the company from April 2012 to January 2014.”
Are there any corruption cases against Abhishek Banerjee?
No, but the Diamond Harbour MP and his wife Rujira are under ED scanner in a case of alleged coal pilferage. In September 2021, the ED issued the summons to the couple, asking them to appear in its New Delhi office in connection with the probe. The couple challenged the summons in the Calcutta High Court, which dismissed their pleas. After that, they moved the Supreme Court, which upheld the High Court order.
The CBI and the ED later questioned both Abhishek and Rujira. The agencies also questioned the TMC MP in connection with the school jobs scam after Bhadra’s arrest in 2023.
What have been the political reactions to the latest chargesheet?
In a statement, Abhishek’s lawyer accused the CBI of spinning a “politically motivated narrative” in a “blatant attempt to tarnish” his client’s reputation. The issue also came up at the TMC’s meeting on Thursday where both Abhishek and Mamata Banerjee alleged that with the Assembly elections approaching, the BJP was using central agencies to tarnish their image.
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Targeting the TMC and the BJP, CPI(M) central committee member and former MP Sujan Chakraborty said, “Had the CBI given the identity of Abhishek Banerjee, then both the BJP and the TMC might have been embarrassed and that is why they only mentioned the name without specifying who he is. After the RG Kar incident, we know the BJP and the TMC have a hidden understanding and that helps the TMC dilute the CBI inquiry.”
“People know who this Abhishek Banerjee is and the people’s court will prosecute him,” said BJP Rajya Sabha MP Samik Bhattacharya.
However, the TMC is unlikely to be bothered about this given that the corruption allegations have failed to bring the BJP political dividends in the state — its campaign revolved around it in the Lok Sabha polls last year but did not have an impact — and all of its major leaders arrested in corruption cases in the last four years are currently out on bail.