Kolkata, Sep 15 (IANS) The Calcutta High Court on Monday concluded hearing on the bail petition by former West Bengal Education Minister and Trinamool Congress Secretary General Partha Chatterjee in a crucial case registered against him by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in relation to irregularities in the recruitment of primary teachers in the state.

The hearing and the merit of the case were crucial since, if granted bail in the case, Chatterjee would finally be able to come out from behind bars in Presidency Central Correctional Home in south Kolkata, where he had been housed since July 2022.

However, the single-judge bench of Justice Suvra Ghosh has kept the order in the matter reserved, and till the time the order was pronounced, Chatterjee’s freedom on bail would remain uncertain.

Chatterjee had been booked by both the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in all the cases registered by both 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 D categories, which are also conducted by the WBSSC.

By now, different courts have granted bail to Chatterjee in all other cases, except the one related to the recruitment of primary teachers, for which he has continued to be behind bars. Now, he will finally be behind bars on bail if he is granted bail in this case by the Calcutta High Court.

Among all the accused in the school job cases, Chatterjee is the one who has been behind bars for the longest period.

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

–IANS

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