Jailed former Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee, accused of being the key conspirator in the alleged teachers' recruitment scam in West Bengal, lost his cool today while being produced in court. Mr Chatterjee was asked by reporters whether the allegations against him were true. In response, he raised a finger and retorted: "Keep quiet"
He was being produced before a special court in Alipore, Kolkata, in connection with the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) case related to his alleged role in the School Service Commission (SSC) recruitment scam.
The former Trinamool Congress (TMC) secretary-general came up with terse replies during his in-person presence at the hearing.
When he was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in July this year, Mr Chatterjee was the state's Industries and Commerce Minister. Following the arrest, he was stripped of his portfolios and also suspended from the party by ruling TMC.
Along with Mr Chatterjee, his friend Arpita Mukherjee was also arrested by ED after huge amount of cash and jewellery were recovered from her homes in the city.
The CBI had named 16 accused, including Mr Chatterjee and former SSC adviser Shanti Prasad Sinha, in its first charge sheet.
In a separate charge sheet, ED said in court that approximately Rs 100 crore was recovered in cash, jewellery and other assets from Ms Mukherjee. The central agency said the amount could go up to Rs 150 crore as investigation was still in progress.
ED alleged that Mr Chatterjee and Ms Mukherjee were involved in money laundering by indulging in a criminal conspiracy to illegally hand out teaching jobs in state-sponsored and aided schools in exchange for huge sums of money.
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