Cash for job ‘dealings’ finalised in backyard of Partha Chatterjee’s residence, claims CBI

Kolkata, Aug 17 : The CBI on Thursday claimed that a room in the backyard of former West Bengal education minister Partha Chatterjees residence at Naktala in Kolkata was used for "dealings" in the multi-crore cash for school job case.

Chatterjee, who was the secretary general of the Trinamool Congress, was suspended from all party posts after he was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the case.

He is currently in judicial custody.

The CBI counsel in the special court said that those who acted as the "middlemen" had free access to that room, where the lists of those to be provided school jobs against cash were finalised.

From there, those lists were forwarded to then chairman of West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) Subiresh Bhattacharya, who is also in judicial custody now because of his alleged involvement in the school job case.

Objecting to the bail petition from Chatterjee on Thursday, the CBI counsel said that this was an "organised crime" in which Chatterjee was one of the principal brains.

While moving the bail plea, Chatterjee also made an appeal for an assistant within the correctional home premises considering his age and related ailments.

"Neither the chief minister nor the state education minister has any role in case of recruitment.

So I too had no role to play in the matter.I have become a victim of conspiracy," Chatterjee claimed.

In his previous appearance at the same court on August 7, Chatterjee had said that he is a "victim of conspiracy" by his own party insiders as he said that he had lots of enemies with whom he has worked and who are really high-profile.

src/svn