WB school recruitment case: TMC MP Banerjee submits 6000-page document to ED

The ED had on September 13 questioned Banerjee for nearly nine hours in the alleged school recruitment case

Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, who was summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the school recruitment case in West Bengal, said that he has submitted 6000-page document to the federal agency on Thursday.

The MP was also questioned by the CBI in the recruitment case in May this year. (PTI photo)

“Abiding by the Calcutta high court’s orders, I had submitted a set of documents to the ED on October 10. After scanning those, the agency again issued summons asking me to physically appear and submit more documents. On Thursday, I submitted documents of around 6,000 pages,” Banerjee said after coming out of the ED’s office in Salt Lake.

The ED had earlier questioned Banerjee, who is the nephew of West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, in the same case on September 13.

The MP was also questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the recruitment case in May this year.

Three TMC legislators, including former education minister Partha Chatterjee, have already been arrested in the case by federal agencies for their alleged involvement. They are now in judicial custody.

“Abhishek will go tomorrow (Thursday) and answer their questions, but all this is harassment with a political motive. Our leaders receive summons as soon as BJP leaders take their names in public and say notices from Income Tax department or ED will be sent to them. The harassment is increasing as we approach the Lok Sabha polls,” state women and child development minister Shashi Panja said on Wednesday.

In September, the MP was questioned for around nine hours by the ED. He had to skip the first meeting of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance’s coordination committee meeting at NCP leader Sharad Pawar’s residence in New Delhi.

“Time was very short. I could have asked for more time. But still I arranged all the documents within two days and submitted to them. My legal team advised me to send the documents only and not to appear physically before the agency on Thursday. But I believe I have nothing to hide. If they summon again, I will come,” he said.

“ED officials said that they would take time to go through the 6000-page document and would summon me again if needed,” he added.

The CBI had started a probe into the case in May 2022 on the orders of the Calcutta high court wherein appointments in state-run schools were made illegally for monetary gains. Later, the ED started a probe to unearth the monetary trail.

In August this year the ED claimed to have seized incriminating documents related to the case during a raid in a company Leaps and Bounds Pvt Ltd.

Later that month, the Calcutta high court had directed the agency to question the company’s CEO.

The ED had issued a statement on August 23 saying that the TMC MP was the company’s CEO and also a director in the company from April 2012 to January 2014.

He hit out at the opposition party making a veiled attack on the BJP.

“The people can see that when they (BJP) can’t fight politically, they send investigating agencies. This is unfortunate. If you have anything against me produce in the court. Even the Calcutta high court’s single bench had said in its order on September 22 that the ED hasn’t been able to submit any evidence against me”, he said.

Earlier in October the TMC MP’s father, Amit Banerjee - one of the younger siblings of Mamata Banerjee – and his wife, Lata Banerjee skipped the agency’s summons citing health reasons.

Rujira Banerjee, Abhishek’s wife, however, faced the investigators.

Brushing aside the allegations, Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar told media on Wednesday, “We have heard that tea of quite high quality is served to guests at the ED office. Abhishek Banerjee should enjoy the tea and have a chat with the officers.”