CBI issues lookout notice against MLA in connection with recruitment scam in government schools
CBI issues lookout notice against MLA in connection with recruitment scam in government schools
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday issued a lookout notice against Trinamool Congress MLA and former West Bengal Board of Primary Education chairman Manik Bhattacharya in connection with the government school recruitment scam. The notice was issued after CBI officials could not trace Mr Bhattacharya at his residences in Kolkata and Nadia.
The CBI probing the recruitment scam had questioned Mr Bhattacharya, who is an MLA from Palashipara in Nadia district. However, over the past few days, the agency was unable to trace his whereabouts. The state government has recently removed the Trinamool leader. From the post of Chairman, West Bengal Board of Primary Education.
A lookout notice is issued by a law enforcement agency against a person who is wanted or absconding in an investigation, in order to prevent the person from leaving the country.
In a related development, the CBI on Wednesday conducted searches at the office of North Bengal University Vice Chancellor Subir Bhattacharya. He was the chairman of the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) between 2014 and 2018. The vice-chancellor on Thursday denied any irregularities during his tenure as the chairman of the commission.
On the instructions of the Calcutta High Court, the CBI is investigating the allegations of corruption in recruitment. Enforcement Directorate on July 23 (ED) arrested Partha ChatterjeeHe was in charge of the state education department from 2014 to 2021 after the recovery of huge amount of money from his colleague’s residence. On 10 August, the CBI arrested Shanti Prasad Sinha, former advisor to SSC, and Ashok Kumar Saha, former secretary of SSC, who were part of the panel set up by Mr Chatterjee.
Stop media trials, urges Mamata Banerjee
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, speaking at an event in Kolkata, said that there should be no media trial in cases pending before courts. “But please don’t do any media trials, guys; Don’t try to defame us. Instead, project the real news,” Ms Banerjee said at an event where the West Bengal government handed over eight floors of the new secretariat building to the Calcutta High Court.
The Chief Minister said that judiciary and media are important pillars in a democracy. If one loses credibility, the other pillars also suffer.” He urged the judges to complete the cases pending before them.
The chief minister’s remarks come at a time when his party is apprehensive about the ongoing probe into the SSC recruitment scam and cross-border cattle smuggling scam. CBI arrests Trinamool leader Anubrata Mondal in animal smuggling scam.