New Delhi:
West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee and his aide Arpita Mukherjee have been sent to Enforcement Directorate custody till August 3. Both were arrested on July 23 in connection with the teacher recruitment scam.
Earlier today, Chatterjee was taken to the Kolkata airport via the Green Corridor from the city’s SSKM Hospital. After landing in Bhubaneswar, Chatterjee was taken to AIIMS, where a thorough health check-up was done, after which he was shifted to a special cabin. AIIMS said though the minister has chronic health problems, he does not need to be hospitalised.
The Calcutta High Court has directed that the accused in the custody of the ED be medically examined every 48 hours. The court also directed the investigating officer not to torture the accused persons.
Bengal Industries Minister Partha Chatterjee was arrested on Saturday on charges of money laundering related to the school job scam. When he was the education minister, he was accused of a role in the alleged illegal appointments of school teachers and staff in government schools.
Around Rs 20 crore in cash was found from the house of Arpita Mukherjee, a close aide of Partha Chatterjee. Pictures of mountains of cash started flashing on TV screens. The minister was arrested after midnight. The Enforcement Directorate says the minister was in touch with Ms Mukherjee and that the cash found in her house was “proceeds of crime”.