Partha Chatterjee, former West Bengal education minister, a key accused in the SSC recruitment scam, was released on bail on Tuesday — three years and three months after his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on July 23, 2022.
Chatterjee, who had been undergoing treatment at a private hospital in the Mukundapur area of south-east Kolkata for the past 203 days, was freed from judicial custody after furnishing his bail bond.
His release came a day after a trial court completed the examination of witnesses in related cases being investigated by the CBI.
While Chatterjee had earlier secured bail in the ED cases, the Supreme Court later granted him bail in the connected CBI cases with a condition that he would not be released until the agency completed recording witness statements.
A large crowd of his supporters gathered outside the hospital, chanting “Partha da zindabad” in an emotionally charged atmosphere as the former Trinamool Congress secretary general left for his Naktala residence in south Kolkata.
