SSC scam: Why Arpita Mukherjee's advocate did not seek bail today?

New Delhi, Aug 05: Arpita Mukherjee's legal counsel on Friday did not seek bail for her in connection with the School Service Commission (SSC) recruitment scam as a session court in Kolkata sent her along with former West Bengal Minister Partha Chatterjee to 14-day judicial custody.

Her advocate also urged the judiciary that she should be not kept with more than four prisoners. "There's a threat to her life. We want a division 1 prisoner category for her. Her food and water need to be tested first and then should be given. ED advocate also supported that there's a threat to her security as more than 4 prisoners can't be kept," ANI quoted him as saying in the court.

The ED to admitted that there was a life threat to her and should not be kept with more than four prisoners in general.

The Enforcement Director (ED) had prayed for 14 days' judicial remand of Partha Chatterjee and his associate Arpita Mukherjee before a special PMLA court in connection with its probe into the money trail in the school recruitment scam.

The ED counsel also prayed for the court's permission to interrogate the two accused in the correctional home over new revelations in the case. The Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) special court judge, Jibon Kumar Sadhu reserved his order after hearing all the parties in the case, PTI reported.

However, the court rejected Partha's bail plea and sent them to 14-day judicial custody. "No one has come out and said that he had asked for a bribe, neither in the CBI case nor in ED. Can they show any witness that he has asked for a bribe? Partha Chatterjee is not connected with the crime and CBI charged allegation is not appropriate," Partha Chatterjee's advocate said.

"In ED Case on 22 July, when his house was raided nothing has been recovered. If you try to ask a man who is not involved in the crime, he will obviously be non-cooperative," he added.

Chatterjee and Mukherjee have been in ED remand since their arrest on July 23 in connection with the agency's investigation into the alleged money trail involved in illegal appointments of teaching and non-teaching staff in West Bengal government-sponsored and aided schools.

The ED has claimed to have recovered Rs 49.8 crore in cash, a huge quantity of jewellery and gold bars from flats owned by Mukherjee, besides documents of properties and of a company joint held by the two accused.