No FIR Against School Jobs Scam Investigators Without Nod: HC

The Calcutta High Court on Thursday said that without its permission, no FIR can be registered against officers of the ED and CBI, who are investigating irregularities in recruitment of teaching and non-teaching staff in West Bengal government-sponsored and aided schools.

Kuntal Ghosh, an accused arrested by the ED in the case, recently alleged that he was being pressured by investigators to take the name of Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee and this was alluded to by the Trinamool leader in a public speech which was taken note of by the High Court.

Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay’s direction came while hearing a matter related to the recruitment scam.

He observed that a letter to the lower judiciary by Ghosh, who is alleged to have acted as an agent in the scam, to the effect that the investigators were pressuring him to take the name of the TMC leader was an attempt by the accused to influence them.

The aspects indicated in Abhishek Banerjee’s public speech should also not be outside the purview of the investigation by the CBI, the court observed.

Later in the evening while addressing a press conference, TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh alleged that a section of the judiciary is “not behaving as per law”.

“I have immense respect for the judiciary. The TMC as a party has immense respect for the judiciary, too,” Ghosh said.

He, however, also alleged, “But, unfortunately a section of the judiciary at the Calcutta High Court is not behaving as per law.” Reacting to Ghosh’s statement, BJP national vice-president Dilip Ghosh said the outburst of the TMC is quite natural as “the cat is now out of the bag”.

“Several TMC leaders are being arrested in corruption cases. And, whoever speaks out against the corruption of TMC is wrong, be it the governor or the judiciary. This proves they have no respect for the judiciary,” Ghosh said.

Appearing for the petitioner, senior lawyer Bikash Bhattacharya prayed before the court that a forensic examination of the letter be ordered.

ED counsel Samrat Goswami submitted that Ghosh was arrested by the agency on January 21, and was in its custody for 14 days on orders of the lower court.

After his ED custody ended, Ghosh has remained in judicial remand.

Justice Gangopadhyay directed the ED and the CBI to file reports before the court by April 20 with regard to the letter.

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