The Bengal government on Wednesday granted the Central Bureau of
Investigation (CBI) sanction to prosecute state government officials allegedly involved in corruption cases linked to recruitment scams in state-aided schools, civic bodies and the cooperative sector.

Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari said the decision to clear the way for prosecution was in line with the new government’s zero-tolerance policy on corruption.

“We have decided to grant sanction to the CBI and
other court-appointed agencies to prosecute and file charge sheets against
tainted officials allegedly involved in these cases,” Suvendu said.

He alleged that the previous government had withheld such clearances to shield “tainted bureaucrats and officials”.

Suvendu’s statements came a day after a city court remanded Sujit Bose, former fire and emergency services minister, to the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) custody.

Bose was arrested on Monday for his alleged involvement in illegal appointments in the South Dum Dum municipality.

“We mentioned our zero-tolerance policy on corruption in our ‘Sankalpa Patra’. “Soon we will make a decision on how to address institutional corruption,” Adhikari said.

School jobs scam

The school recruitment scam relates to the appointment of Group C and D staff and teachers through the West Bengal School Service Commission, and the recruitment of teachers in state-run primary schools.

The alleged irregularities in SSC appointments date back to 2019-20, while the primary teachers’ recruitment examination was held in 2014.

The first petitions alleging irregularities in SSC recruitment were filed in the Calcutta High Court in 2021. Petitioners alleged that appointments were made in 2019 using a panel that had expired in 2016.

Later, during hearings before former judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay, allegations surfaced that candidates who had failed the 2012 Teachers’ Eligibility Test were appointed in primary schools.

The CBI began its investigation following a high court order in June 2022.

CBI sources said several suspects remain free or are yet to face further legal action.

“Several intermediaries who acted as conduits between the main conspirators and job seekers are yet to be questioned. We want to interrogate them at the earliest,” a senior CBI official said.

Civic jobs scam

While probing alleged irregularities in school recruitment, central agencies uncovered the civic jobs scam.

The CBI alleged in a chargesheet filed in January that more than 600 illegal appointments were made across eight municipalities in Bengal with the involvement of a senior bureaucrat and businessman Ayan Sil.

According to the chargesheet, the bureaucrat was serving as director of the Directorate of Local Bodies when the alleged irregularities took place, while Sil’s company, ABS Infozon, had secured contracts for recruitment in the municipalities.

Investigators alleged the company handled barcoding and evaluation of OMR sheets and charged between ₹4 lakh and ₹7 lakh per candidate for appointments in various categories, including Group D staff, drivers, cleaners and typists.

The cooperative-sector probe centres on the Alipurduar Mohila Samabay Rindan Samity Limited scam, a multi-crore fraud involving a women-run cooperative credit society in North Bengal.

The case prompted intervention by the Calcutta High Court, which in August 2023 directed the CID to hand over details of the case to the CBI and the ED.