Partha Chatterjee, Arpita to remain in ED custody till Aug 5

Kolkata, Aug 03: Former West Bengal education minister Partha Chatterjee and his aide Arpita Mukherjee were sent to three more days in the custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) by a special court in Kolkata in the SSC scam case.

The ED had sought four days of custody for Chatterjee and three days for Mukherjee, from whose apartments crores of rupees in cash and other valuables were recovered last month. They are facing charges under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Hearing the arguments, special PMLA judge Jibon Kumar Sadhu granted three days' ED custody to both the accused. They will be produced before the court again on August 5, he directed. The investigating officer was directed to arrange for the medical examinations of both the accused persons every 48 hours of their stay in ED custody.

The former minister's lawyer prayed for his bail, while Mukherjee's cousel submitted that there was no requirement for any further ED custody of his client. Appearing for the ED, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) SV Raju submitted that several companies and properties in the joint holding of Chatterjee and Mukherjee were unearthed, and they were needed to be questioned on these.

Both the accused were produced before the court in person. The ED counsel claimed before the court that Chatterjee has not been cooperating in the investigation, while Mukherjee is comparatively cooperative.

Judge Sadhu also allowed 15 minutes of consultation by the lawyers of each accused with their clients on one day in the presence of ED officials. Chatterjee was arrested in the SSC scam case on July 23 after crores of rupees in cash, gold believed to be in kilograms and documents of properties were found at the apartments of his aide Mukherjee.

The ASG submitted that a total of Rs 49.80 crore in cash was seized from two flats of Mukherjee. He further claimed that Chatterjee and Mukherjee were found involved in money laundering as they indulged in a criminal conspiracy for illegally giving jobs for the post of assistant teachers in state-sponsored and aided schools.

The alleged irregularities in the recruitment drives by the School Service Commission (SSC) took place when Chatterjee was the education minister of the state.