NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday questioned the Enforcement Directorate (ED) about its low conviction rate in money laundering cases during a bail hearing for former West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee. Chatterjee has been jailed for over two years awaiting trial in a teacher recruitment scandal.
Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan expressed concern over the length of Chatterjee’s detention, noting the trial hadn’t even begun.
“What will happen if we don’t grant bail? Trial is yet to commence, there are 183 witnesses in the cases. Trial will take time…How long can we keep him? That is the question. Here is a case where more than two years have gone. How to strike balance in such case?” The bench also questioned the ED’s conviction rate: “Mr Raju, if ultimately he is not convicted, what will happen? Waiting for 2.5-3 years is not a small period. What is your conviction rate? Even if the rate is 60-70 per cent, we can understand. But it is very poor.”
Chatterjee’s lawyer, Mukul Rohatgi, argued that his client, aged 73, has health issues and has already served over one-third of the maximum sentence for the charges. He stressed the lengthy witness list and multiple supplementary complaints, suggesting the trial’s conclusion is far off.
Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, representing the ED, opposed bail, citing the “rampant corruption” Chatterjee is accused of, impacting over 50,000 candidates. Raju claimed Chatterjee is influential and could tamper with witnesses if released. He also accused Chatterjee of manipulating medical reports and pointed to co-accused Arpita Mukherjee’s statement alleging the recovered money belonged to Chatterjee.
The court requested details of Chatterjee’s custody in related CBI cases and adjourned the matter to December 2.
Chatterjee was arrested on July 23, 2022, by the ED for alleged money laundering connected to illegal teacher recruitment. The ED claims to have seized substantial cash, jewelry, and gold from properties linked to Mukherjee. Chatterjee was subsequently removed from his ministerial and party positions. He is appealing a Calcutta High Court order from April 30 denying him bail.