Partha Chatterjee suffering from chronic illness, but does not require hospitalisation: AIIMS Bhubaneswar

Kolkata, July 12: West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee, arrested in connection with a school job scam, was on Monday flown to AIIMS Bhubaneswar, where doctors said that he suffers from chronic diseases but does not need immediate hospitalisation.

"We have conducted a thorough screening (of Chatterjee). He has some chronic diseases, but does not need immediate hospitalisation," AIIMS executive director Ashutosh Biswas told reporters.

The court has been informed about Chatterjee's health status, Biswas said. "The next course of action will be taken as per the court directives," he added.

The court on July 24 directed the ED, which had arrested Chatterjee in connection with its probe into the scam, to take him to the health facility by an air ambulance.

Chatterjee was taken to Bhubaneswar in an air ambulance, an ED official said. He added that two counsels representing Chatterjee also travelled to the Odisha capital.

Earlier in the day, the Bengal minister was taken to the Kolkata airport in an ambulance from the state-run SSKM hospital, where he was undergoing treatment.

A green corridor was created so that he could reach the airport in around 30 minutes, a Kolkata Police official said.

Chatterjee, who is currently the industries and parliamentary affairs minister of the Mamata Banerjee government, was remanded to ED custody till Monday by a lower court in Kolkata.

He was the education minister when the alleged teacher recruitment scam took place at West Bengal government-run and-aided schools.

The Calcutta HC directed that the minister, be produced before a special ED court in Kolkata through virtual mode at 4 PM on Monday.