In West Bengal, the political scene is stirred by the CBI’s recent charge sheet in a cash-for-school job case, citing a 2017 audio conversation involving a figure named Abhishek Banerjee, allegedly demanding Rs 15 crore for illegal appointments. While the charge sheet does not clarify the identity of this Banerjee, it closely resembles TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee, who has faced scrutiny over the scandal. His lawyer condemned the allegations as baseless and politically motivated, asserting that there is no corroborative evidence. The charge sheet implicates others in the scam, revealing extensive bribery schemes tied to illegal teacher appointments.
Kolkata:
The political landscape in West Bengal was lively on Wednesday following revelations that the CBI, in its recently filed third supplementary charge sheet regarding the multi-crore cash-for-school jobs scandal, included a reference to an audio recording from 2017. This recording allegedly featured a certain Abhishek Banerjee demanding Rs 15 crore in exchange for illegal appointments.
Although the charge sheet did not explicitly identify the Abhishek Banerjee in question, the name closely resembles that of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew and Trinamool Congress national general secretary, who has faced repeated allegations of involvement in the scam from the state’s political opposition.
The TMC MP has previously appeared before central investigative agencies – the ED and the CBI – multiple times for questioning regarding the alleged recruitment irregularities.
Later in the day, the MP’s attorney, Sanjay Basu, issued a press release declaring the charge sheet’s claims submitted to a special CBI court as “misleading and unfounded,” labeling it as “merely a fishing expedition targeting my client.” The 28-page charge sheet, a ‘certified to be true’ copy of which is held by PTI, was filed by the CBI on February 21, and implicates Sujay Krishna Bhadra, alias ‘Kalighater Kaku’ (uncle of Kalighat), along with two others, in connection with the irregular appointments of teachers at state-run primary schools via the 2014 Teachers Eligibility Test (TET) selection process.
The CBI identifies Bhadra as the Chief Operating Officer of M/S Leaps and Bounds Private Limited.
Previously, the ED identified TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee as the CEO of the firm and noted his limited tenure as one of its directors.
According to its charge sheet, the CBI mentions a “meeting convened in 2017 at Bhadra’s Behala home,” attended by the accused Kuntal Ghosh, Shantanu Banerjee, and two others, Aurobindo Roy Barman and Surajit Chanda.
The agency reports that, at Kuntal Ghosh’s prompting, his associate “Aurobindo Roy Barman recorded the conversation on his mobile and subsequently transferred the audio file to his laptop, which was later recovered during the investigation.”
The CBI asserts that the alleged conversation detailed the methods of collecting bribes from unqualified candidates and facilitating their illegal appointments through result manipulation, claiming such appointments were orchestrated by Ghosh, Banerjee, and Bhadra “via accused Partha Chatterjee, who was the Education Minister at the time.”
“A discord existed between Abhishek Banerjee and accused Partha Chatterjee regarding illegal appointments, with Sujay Krishna Bhadra reportedly stating that Abhishek Banerjee had asked for Rs 15 crore for appointments that had already been made. When Sujay Krishna Bhadra expressed his inability to raise more money since candidates had already paid Rs 6.50 lakhs each, Abhishek Banerjee allegedly warned Sujay to halt the appointments or face consequences for the candidates, including arrest or placements in remote locations,” the CBI notes regarding the recorded conversation on page 15 of the charge sheet.
“It was disclosed that Sujay Krishna Bhadra, Santanu Banerjee, and Kuntal Ghosh were devising a plan to extort bribes from an additional 2000 candidates for their appointments, with a target amount of Rs 100 crore to be shared among them after paying off Shri Partha Chatterjee, Shri Abhishek Banerjee, and Shri Manik Bhattacharya (a co-accused, former primary board president and TMC MLA now out on bail) Rs 20 crore each,” the agency further detailed in its charge sheet.
In response to the charge sheet’s allegations, Banerjee accused the agency of targeting him unfairly.
“My client has fully cooperated with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), appearing whenever required and providing all necessary documentation. Yet, the CBI has resorted to unfounded accusations. It is significant that the ED, tasked with investigating alleged proceeds of crime, has not filed any charge sheet against my client, highlighting the absence of incriminating evidence against him,” the lawyer’s statement remarked.
“This alleged third supplementary charge sheet serves merely as a fishing expedition intended to harass my client. The CBI has not presented any corroborative evidence, lacking supporting documents for its allegations. This continues a pattern of unjust targeting of my client,” the statement further added.
Banerjee highlighted the “previous unsuccessful attempt by the ED” to incriminate him and criticized the “political forces” now engaging the CBI to “misuse central agencies for their agenda.”
“The CBI’s politically driven narrative represents a blatant effort to damage Shri Abhishek Banerjee’s reputation. By incorporating unverifiable statements into a case involving others, the agency raises serious questions about the integrity of its investigation,” the statement concluded.
“Shri Abhishek Banerjee remains committed to pursuing truth and justice. He will not be intimidated by these unsubstantiated claims and will fight vigorously to expose this conspiracy, protect his integrity, and ensure justice is served,” it wrapped up.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)