Supreme Court grants bail to Partha Chatterjee in Bengal school job scam case

Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi

New Delhi, Aug 18: The Supreme Court on Monday granted bail to former West Bengal Education Minister and senior Trinamool Congress leader Partha Chatterjee in connection with the multi-crore school recruitment scam, nearly three years after his arrest. The case relates to alleged irregularities and corruption in the appointment of teachers in state-run schools.

A bench comprising Justices M.M. Sundresh and N. Kotiswar Singh also extended bail relief to two other high-profile accused—Subiresh Bhattacharyya, former Chairman of the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC), and Santi Prasad Sinha, former Secretary of the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE)—who had filed special leave petitions seeking release.

While granting bail, the bench noted that Chatterjee had been in judicial custody for almost three years without significant progress in trial proceedings, largely due to pending sanction approvals required for prosecuting other accused government officials. The court observed that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had already completed its investigation and filed charge sheets in the matter.

The Supreme Court also ordered expedited trial proceedings, directing that charges be framed within four weeks and that key witnesses be examined within two months thereafter. The move aims to break the procedural deadlock that has delayed the start of full-scale trial in the case.

Despite Monday’s bail order, Chatterjee will remain in custody as he continues to face detention in related cases, including the primary teachers’ recruitment scam.

Earlier, Justice Joymalya Bagchi had recused himself from the case, prompting Justice Surya Kant’s bench to send the matter to the Chief Justice of India for reallocation. The matter was then listed before the present bench, which passed Monday’s ruling.

Back in May, the apex court had instructed the West Bengal government to decide on the pending prosecution sanctions within two weeks to allow the trial to move forward. That direction was aimed at removing administrative bottlenecks in the high-profile corruption probe.

The school jobs scam has been under joint investigation by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), both of which have named Chatterjee as a central figure in their respective charge sheets. The ED had arrested Chatterjee in July 2022 after conducting raids that reportedly uncovered large amounts of unaccounted cash and other assets. The CBI later arrested him in connection with overlapping charges.

With this latest development, the case once again returns to the spotlight, raising questions over political accountability, judicial delays, and systemic flaws in the public recruitment process.