NEW DELHI: SC on Wednesday lashed out at former West Bengal education minister Partha Chatterjee, seeking bail in a money laundering case related to the teachers recruitment scam, for arguing that while bail has been granted to all other co-accused, he has been behind bars for more than two years.
“Do not seek parity with other accused. They are not ministers. You were the minister of the department where this alleged recruitment scam took place. Look at the recovery of huge sums of money from firms, virtually owned by you and your associate Arpita Mukherjee,” a bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan said.
Chatterjee’s counsel, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, said the accused is a first time offender and he must get the benefit of bail having served one-third of the maximum sentence that could be imposed if he gets convicted. Enforcement Directorate’s counsel, additional solicitor general S V Raju, said the beneficial provision of the Bhartiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita did not apply as many cases are pending against Chatterjee.
When Rohatgi said this reflects the sadistic attitudes of ED and CBI to get him embroiled in case after case so that he does not get out of jail on bail, the Justice Kant-led bench said, “When the minister is the kingpin in a scam, and SC grants him bail, what message it sends to society? That a powerful and influential person can get bail? On the face of it you are corrupt.”
However, the bench was quick to clarify that since the investigation is going on and there is no likelihood of trial getting completed in the near future, the court has to balance the rights of the accused with suitable conditions to ensure there is a fair investigation without any impediments.
Rohatgi offered that Chatterjee would stay out of the territory of Bengal for a period of six months if that helped ED to complete investigations without apprehending any obstruction from the accused. “Chatterjee has been removed from TMC,” he said, indicating that he does not wield any influence through state govt.
Raju opposed the bail, saying Chatterjee was the mastermind of the scam in recruitment of teachers and group C&D employees for schools, and instrumental in depriving nearly 50,000 genuine candidates of their jobs by giving these to undeserving candidates in consideration of bribes. SC reserved verdict on Chatterjee’s bail plea.
Rohatgi said identical were the charges against TN minister Senthil Balaji, but SC had granted him bail. The bench said there is no parity between a TN minister and a WB minister. “After all there is no association of ministers in this country,” it said.