West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee and his aide Arpita Mukherjee have been sent to the Enforcement Directorate's custody till August 3. The two were arrested on July 23 in connection with a teacher recruitment scam.
Earlier in the day, Chatterjee was taken to Kolkata airport from SSKM hospital in the city via a green corridor. After landing in Bhubaneswar, Chatterjee was moved to AIIMS, where a thorough health check-up was carried out, following which he was shifted to a special cabin. AIIMS said that though the minister has chronic health issues, he does not need to be hospitalised.
The Calcutta High Court has directed that a medical examination of the accused be conducted every 48 hours of their detention in ED custody. The court also directed the investigating officer not to inflict torture upon the accused persons.
Partha Chatterjee, the Bengal Industries Minister, was arrested on Saturday on money-laundering charges linked to a school jobs scam. He was accused of a role in allegedly illegal appointments of schoolteachers and staff in government-run schools when he was Education Minister.
Around Rs 20 crore in cash was found from the house of a close associate of Partha Chatterjee, Arpita Mukherjee. Images of mountains of cash flashed on TV screens. The minister was arrested after midnight. The Enforcement Directorate says the minister was in contact with Ms Mukherjee and that the cash found in her home was "proceeds of crime".
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