Kolkata, Sep 6 West Bengal Minister Chandranath Sinha on Saturday surrendered before the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in connection with the Enforcement Directorate's investigation into the alleged irregularities in the primary school recruitment case.
State minister in charge of micro, small and medium enterprises and textiles, Sinha appeared before the special court in Kolkata earlier in the day and formally surrendered in compliance with the earlier court orders.
Although the ED sought his custody, the court granted him an interim bail on a personal bond of Rs 10,000, subject to conditions. The court said that although bail has been granted, Sinha will not be allowed to leave his Assembly constituency or Kolkata for the time being.
According to an ED official, Sinha must cooperate in the investigation and with investigating officers. "These conditions have to be followed until the hearings related to the case are completed," said a source in the ED.
Last month, West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose approved the charge sheet filed against Singh in the primary recruitment case. The charge sheet was accepted in a special court of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in Kolkata, after receiving the governor's approval.
The court ordered that Chandranath Sinha be summoned by the central investigation agency within 15 days. As a result, he was asked to surrender before the court by September 6.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED), on August 6, filed a charge sheet against Sinha in the primary teachers recruitment case, in a special court of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in the city.
Sinha is the second Minister in the Bengal government against whom ED had filed a charge sheet in this case, the first being the former West Bengal Education Minister and Trinamool Congress Secretary General Partha Chatterjee.
Sinha is a two-time Trinamool MLA from the Bolpur Assembly constituency in Birbhum district. He twice avoided appearing before the ED officers.
On August 7, Sinha suddenly appeared at the ED office. However, it was not clear whether he had been questioned or not.
On July 31, ED investigators had sent a request for property documents from Sinha.
At the same time, documents related to all the movable and immovable properties of the Minister and his family were sought.
However, Sinha did not appear before ED officers at its CGO Complex office in Kolkata's Salt Lake. He had reportedly asked the ED for more time.
The ED officials first secured the name of the Minister from the diary of the middleman, and now suspended Trinamool Congress leader Kuntal Ghosh, who was later arrested by the central agency officials.
In March last year, the ED officials conducted raid and search operations at the Minister's residence at Bolpur in Birbhum district.
After the raid, the ED officials seized cash worth Rs 41 lakh and a mobile phone from Sinha's residence.
Sinha is known to be close to Trinamool Congress strongman and former Trinamool Congress district president in Birbhum, Anubrata Mondal.
--IANS
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