By Rajesh Saha: The former education minister of Bengal, Partha Chatterjee, was the mastermind of the teachers’ recruitment scam, his close aide Arpita Mukherjee said in an explosive revelation before the court today. The two were arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in July 2022 after crores in cash were found in Mukherjee’s home.
After nearly 10 months in jail, Arpita Mukherjee pleaded for bail and her petition was heard by a special court in Kolkata today. She was represented by advocate Vrinda Grover.
For the first time since the spotlight shifted on her, Arpita Mukherjee accused Partha Chatterjee of being the mastermind of the case. Grover told the court that Partha Chatterjee had planned everything and mentioned the names of several people named in the ED’s charge sheet.
Arpita Mukherjee had no role in the alleged scam, Grover said, adding that the jail time is destroying Arpita Mukherjee’s personal freedom. Her client is not the beneficiary of the scam in any way, Grover said, adding that Mukherjee is only a victim of circumstances.
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Grover further said that all the allegations made against her client are false and that her statement was not recorded before her arrest. Arpita has always assisted in the investigation, her lawyer said, seeking bail.
During the course of the investigation, the names of a few private companies came up and the probe agency claimed that the companies were used to convert Partha Chatterjee’s black money into white.
Today, Arpita Mukherjee claimed that Partha Chatterjee was behind all the shell companies and was the sole beneficiary of them.
Also Read | How jailed Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee spends his days
The ED and the CBI raided Arpita Mukherjee’s apartments in Kolkata on July 23, 2022 and recovered over Rs 50 crore from the two flats. Following the recovery of huge amounts of money and gold, Partha Chatterjee and Arpita Mukherjee were arrested by the ED. Since then, both of them have been in jail.
The ED strongly opposed Mukherjee’s bail petition. The ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation, or CBI, have repeatedly referred to Partha Chatterjee as the mastermind of the alleged scam, in court and in their charge sheets.
After hearing from both sides, the court reserved the order, which will likely be passed on Wednesday.
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