Kolkata, Sep 15 (IANS) The process of framing of charges against former West Bengal Education Minister and Trinamool Congress Secretary General Partha Chatterjee and other accused in the third Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) case in connection with the multi-crore cash-for-school job case concluded at a special court in Kolkata on Monday.

The process of framing of charges was completed against a total of 26 individuals, including Chatterjee, in a CBI-registered case relating to irregularities in the recruitment of secondary teachers appointed by the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC). Apart from Chatterjee, the other major name against whom charges were framed was the Trinamool legislator from Burwan constituency (Murshidabad), Jiban Krishna Saha.

The process of framing of charges was completed in two other similar CBI-registered cases last week, and in both cases, Chatterjee’s name was in the prime positions in the lists.

On Monday, Chatterjee virtually attended the proceedings at the special court, where the judge observed that Chatterjee resorted to illegally appointing some of his confidant officers at the WBSSC to give the process or recruitment irregularities a smooth running.

However, reacting to it, Chatterjee said that despite having full faith in the judicial system, he would continue saying that he was innocent. There, the judge stopped him and he was to speak only when his turn would come, and till then his counsel would present his arguments on his behalf at the court.

Among all the accused in the school-job cases, Chatterjee is the one who had been behind the bars for his involvement in the school-job case for the longest period.

He was arrested in July 2022 at his residence by the officials of the Enforcement Directorate. Later, he was also shown to be arrested by the CBI.

Chatterjee had been booked by both the CBI and the ED in all the cases registered by both the central agencies within the larger ambit of the alleged school job case. Both agencies have described Chatterjee as the principal mastermind in all the cases registered against him in the alleged scam.

There are six broad categories in the entire ambit of the alleged school job scam. The first, second, and third are the appointments for secondary, higher secondary, and upper primary teachers conducted by the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC). The fourth is the appointment of primary teachers appointed by the West Bengal Board of Primary Education (WBBPE), and the fifth and sixth categories are non-teaching staff in the Group-C and Group-D categories, which are also conducted by the WBSSC.

–IANS

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