Calcutta HC orders transfer of special CBI judge; summons state law minister

The chief of CBI’s special investigation team probing the school job case appeared before the court on Wednesday and accused the local police administration of “harassing the central agency sleuths”

The Calcutta high court on Wednesday ordered the transfer of special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court judge Arpan Chattopadhyay by October 4 for intervening in a high court order in connection with the West Bengal teachers’ recruitment scam.

Calcutta high court (Representative Photo)

A single bench of justice Abhijit Gangopadhay observed that when the central agency probe in the matter was being conducted following a high court’s order, the judge of the special CBI court had “no authority to intervene in that matter”.

“The Calcutta high court was informed that justice Arpan Chattopadhyay of the special CBI court had passed some orders which were hindering the probe ordered by the Calcutta high court,” said a senior lawyer present in the court.

The bench had asked the federal agency on Wednesday whether it was facing any hurdles in the investigation of the teachers’ recruitment scam.

The chief of CBI’s special investigation team probing the school job case appeared before the court on Wednesday and accused the local police administration of “harassing the central agency sleuths”.

The CBI is probing into the multi-crore recruitment scam ordered by the Calcutta high court. The federal agency has earlier been pulled up by the court for not being able to come up with expected results in a time-bond manner.

With regards to the transfer of the special CBI court judge, the bench also summoned the state law minister Moloy Ghatak to appear before the court and explain the delay after the registrar general informed that the file was processed on August 25 but it was pending in the state law minister’s office.

On Wednesday, Ghatak appeared before the court and said that he had been ill since August 25 and had been released from the hospital just four days ago, lawyers present in the court said.

“I have told the court whatever I had to say,” Ghatak told reporters.

“The judge was apparently happy to see the minister appear before the court and acknowledged the minister’s request to give him time till October 6. The Calcutta high court then set the deadline for the transfer of the CBI judge till October 6,” said another lawyer aware of the developments.

In May, 2022, justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay directed the CBI to probe the appointment of non-teaching staff (Group C and D) and teaching staff by the WBSSC and the WBBSE between 2014 and 2021.The appointees allegedly paid bribes in the range of ₹5 lakh to ₹15 lakh to get jobs after failing the selection tests, preliminary investigations revealed, promoting the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to start a parallel probe into the money trail.

(with agency inputs)