Five months after securing bail, former West Bengal education minister Partha Chatterjee faced fresh scrutiny as Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials raided his Kolkata residence on Saturday in connection with the alleged school recruitment scam.
Around 11:45 am, central forces cordoned off Chatterjee’s Naktala home before ED officials entered the premises. Sources confirmed that the suspended Trinamool Congress leader was present at the residence during the operation.
According to sources, Chatterjee was summoned by the central agency for further questioning in the cash-for-jobs scam in school recruitment during Chatterjee’s tenure as minister. He had been summoned by the central agency for further questioning but cited ill-health and did not appear.
Chatterjee was arrested on July 23, 2022, along with his associate Arpita Mukherjee for their alleged involvement in the scam. During the investigation, authorities recovered over Rs 50 crore in cash and gold jewellery worth Rs 4.5 crore from properties linked to Arpita.
Simultaneously, ED teams also conducted searches at the office of Prasanna Roy, an aide to Chatterjee and a co-accused in the case.
Once a senior figure in the TMC, Chatterjee was later denied a party ticket. He represents the Behala West constituency in the West Bengal Assembly and, following his release on bail, was appointed to standing committees on library and housing, as well as fire services and disaster management.
