ED raids former education minister Partha Chatterjee's residence ahead of Bengal polls

Kolkata, April 11 The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday conducted a raid again at the residence of former West Bengal education minister and former Trinamool Congress secretary general, Partha Chatterjee, in south Kolkata.

On Saturday morning, the ED reached Partha's house in Naktala with a large contingent of central forces. It is believed that the former minister will be questioned again in the school teacher recruitment case before the Assembly elections. After getting bail, the ED had summoned him several times. But Partha allegedly did not appear before the central investigation agency officials. Each time, he avoided appearing by citing illness.

It is believed that this is why the central agency reached his house to question him this time.

Meanwhile, an ED team also reached Prasanna Roy's office in New Town and is currently conducting a raid there. Prasanna is one of the accused 'middlemen' in the recruitment case.

An ED team reached there shortly before 11 a.m. on Saturday. According to sources, Partha had said that he is ill and if necessary, the ED can question him through video call. Partha also had told the ED that he could be questioned even at home. It is believed that the ED raided Naktala soon after that.

It may be recalled that the former education minister was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in July 2022 for his alleged involvement in the multi-crore SSC teacher recruitment scam. On the day of Chatterjee's arrest in 2022, the ED had unearthed Rs 20 crore in cash from the house of his close associate Arpita Mukherjee, who was also arrested in the same case. Mukherjee was granted bail in 2024.

In September last year, the Calcutta High Court granted bail to Partha Chatterjee. Despite the bail order, Chatterjee could not be released immediately due to a Supreme Court directive, which said Chatterjee should be released only after the trial court completes the examination of material witnesses within two months. He was finally released from judicial custody on November 11.

Meanwhile, state minister and Trinamool Congress leader Sujit Bose's son Samudra Bose appeared before ED officials at its CGO Complex office in Salt Lake in connection with the recruitment case in state municipalities.

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