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Bengal SSC scam: SC rejects Manik Bhattacharya's plea challenging his arrest
Manik Bhattacharya had urged the Supreme Court to declare his arrest by ED as illegal and to release him forthwith in connection with a matter.
In a setback for Trinamool Congress MLA Manik Bhattacharya, the Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed his plea challenging his arrest in connection with the West Bengal teachers' recruitment scam case.
The bench comprising justices Aniruddha Bose and Vikram Nath also refused a petition to allow Bhattacharya to meet his counsels and asked that this application should be made before the appropriate court, Live Law reported.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court had reserved its order on the former chairman of the West Bengal board of primary education and Trinamool Congress leader's petition challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering matter relating to the alleged irregularities in primary teachers' appointments.
Bhattacharya, in his plea, submitted the investigating officer of the ED has filed a remand application before the special judge (CBI-I) court, city sessions court, Calcutta, seeking 14 days' custodial remand of the petitioner on October 11 and that the arrest is effected during the currency of the protection orders passed by the top court.
Bhattacharya had urged the apex court to declare the arrest as illegal and to release him forthwith in connection with a matter.
Earlier, the ED had told the Supreme Court that Bhattacharya was a key person in the case.
The ED, in its affidavit also said it has been ascertained that Bhattacharya headed the West Bengal board of primary education for a period of more than 10 years starting from 2011 during which more than 58,000 primary teachers were recruited through the board.
In an affidavit filed before the Supreme Court, the ED has opposed Bhattacharya's plea saying Bhattacharya remained uncooperative during the course of statements recorded under section 50 of PMLA, 2002 and has continuously tried to mislead the investigation by suppressing facts and details on the source of funds accumulated in the name of his family members.
Bhattacharya was the second TMC leader, after Partha Chatterjee, to be arrested in the alleged SSC scam case. Chatterjee, the then education minister of the state of West Bengal and his aide Arpita Mukherjee were arrested on July 23.
