Former education minister Partha Chatterjee received Rs 10 lakh from Trinamul Congress youth leader Kuntal Ghosh for offering jobs to candidates Ghosh brought, an Enforcement Directorate (ED) lawyer alleged in court on Tuesday.
Contesting the application for Partha’s bail, the lawyer representing the central agency, which is probing the money trail in the alleged corruption in school recruitment, said there was evidence to prove that Ghosh would buy jobs for his candidates against a payment of Rs 10 lakh to the former minister.
“We have evidence to believe Kuntal Ghosh bought jobs from Partha Chatterjee against a payment of Rs 10 lakh,” the lawyer said. “The investigation into this is still on.”
Partha’s lawyer contested the charge at Bankshal Court.
“Did you see him receive the money? We say a lot of things during conversations but not all of that is true,” Partha’s lawyer retorted.
Partha was arrested in July 2022 from his Naktala house on the city’s southern fringes. Ghosh was arrested from his Chinar Park apartment in January.
Both are in judicial custody at the Presidency correctional home.
Partha’s lawyer told the court he was arrested after a 24-hour interrogation at his home from where no money was recovered.
“The money was recovered from another person and the person was arrested on that charge. It is being said that itis a collective crime and yet he is in judicial custody alone,” he said.
“This is a politically motivated arrest based on ED’s assumptions. Let bail be granted and we will continue to cooperate during the course of the investigation.”
Opposing the bail prayer, ED’s lawyer said Partha was a minister with great influence.
The judge told Partha’s lawyer there were two separate applications — one sought relief from the case and the other said if granted bail, there will be complete cooperation — and asked how the two can co-exist.
Partha’s lawyer said he was withdrawing the appeal seeking relief from the case.
The judge later turned down the bail plea.
