As the election heats up in West Bengal, the Enforcement Directorate on Saturday ED carried out searches at the residence of former West Bengal Education Minister and TMC leader Partha Chatterjee, who has been evading summons, in teacher recruitment scam.
According to the agency officials, Chatterjee, arrested in July 2022, did not respond to three summons issued to them in the past which sought his appearance in the multiple cases filed against him to probe money laundering in the recruitment of Primary Teachers, SSC Assistant Teachers and SSC Group C and D staff. Money allegedly changed hands in the recruitment of the teachers of around 26,000 teachers and other school staff by the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC).
The recruitment done by the West Bengal SSC was declared illegal by the Calcutta High Court which was also later upheld by the Supreme Court, with judges describing the process “tainted” and based on “large scale fraud.”
The former State Education Minister, who had hit the headlines after the ED recovered over ₹21 crore in cash from the house of his associate, was suspended from the party after his arrest less than four years ago.
The TMC had also removed him from all party posts. The Supreme Court in May, last year, had asked the Mamata Banerjee government to give sanction to prosecute Parth Chatterjee since he was a State minister at the time of the registration of the case against him and others.
After remaining in jail for three years and three months, he was granted bail in November, 2025, by a lower court.
Published on April 11, 2026