Partha Chatterjee, the former education minister of West Bengal, is accused by the central investigating agencies—the CBI and ED—of looking into the jobs-for-cash fraud of maintaining his influence even after losing his ministerial position. While inside the courtroom, Chatterjee sobbed and begged the judge to allow him to survive.
Chatterjee sobbed during the proceedings on 31 October after being brought before the Special PMLA court at Bichar Bhavan. After nearly a month, Chatterjee physically appeared before the court.
Bhaskar Prasad Banerjee, an attorney for ED, asserted that Arpita Mukherjee’s statement was taken on October 19.
Selim Rehman, Chatterjee’s attorney, claimed earlier in the day in the special CBI court that the charge sheet had already been filed and the investigation was finished.
Chatterjee declined to respond to inquiries that were thrown his way as he entered the Alipore court. He said as he walked into the court, be quiet. S P Sinha and Kalyanmay Gangopadhyay were two of the additional six arrested people who were brought before the court. The CBI’s attorney claimed that bail cannot be granted because the investigation is ongoing and the accused people might try to sway it if they are released.
The CBI attorney, who was in attendance at Sheik Kamaruddin’s court, stated that there are at least 350 witnesses in the case and that 10 people have already been interrogated. The judge stated at this point that the probe could not continue indefinitely and requested a time frame from the CBI. The CBI officer, who was present in court, stated that it would take at least six months to finish questioning everyone. The CBI court sentenced seven accused people, including Chatterjee, to 14 days of judicial detention.
News Mania Desk
