In a major setback to TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee, the Supreme Court has refused to intervene in the SSC scam investigation which is being conducted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), thereby allowing the agency to summon Banerjee.
A bench headed by CJI DY Chandrachud noted that interfering with the case may lead to stifling of investigation at this stage. “We are therefore not inclined to interfere with the Calcutta HC order since the consequence of doing so would be to stifle with the investigation at this stage,” the court said.
The SC noted that the single judge bench of Calcutta High Court held that there is no reason to prevent the investigation from being carried out by the ED considering the ramifications of the matter.
The SC has allowed Mamata Banerjee’s nephew to avail remedies under the law and also deleted the cost of Rs 25 lakh imposed by the HC.
On 13th April, the Calcutta High Court passed an order allowing the CBI and ED to interrogate the TMC General Secretary in the West Bengal Teachers’ Recruitment scam. Following this, Banerjee filed an application to recall the order which was quashed again by the HC on 18th May.
The SC has ruled that the orders passed by the HC on 13th April and 18th May will not restrict Banerjee’s right to seek other remedies as those orders were passed on applications filed in PILs.
Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who is representing Banerjee, has argued that the ED is conducting a “fishing and roving” inquiry against Banerjee without any material. He has alleged that Banerjee’s wife and relatives are being harassed too.
What is the SSC scam?
The West Bengal Teacher’s recruitment scam, more commonly referred to as the SSC scam, is about the recruitment process conducted through the State Level Selection Test (SLST) conducted by SSC from 2014 to 2016.
Candidates who appeared for the State Level Selection Test (SLST) exam alleged that many candidates who secured fewer marks ended up with higher ranks on the merit list. They further stated that the candidates who were not on the merit list were also sent appointment letters.
Further, in the year 2016, multiple allegations of corruption cropped up regarding the recruitment of Group C and Group D employees in secondary and higher secondary schools under the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education. The matter came to light in March this year after irregularities were noticed in the recruitment process of teachers in the state government schools.
Last month, during the course of the investigation into the scam, the Enforcement Directorate discovered a new Rs 200 crore cash for jobs racket in Bengal.
Several TMC netas including Arpita Mukherjee, Partha Chatterjee, Saayoni Ghosh, MLA Manik Bhattacharya, Santanu Banerjee, and Abhishek Banerjee’s close aide Sujoy Krishna Bhadra have been arrested or summoned in the case.