Bengal Minister again appears before ED in teachers recruitment case

Kolkata, Oct 22 (IANS) West Bengal Minister Chandranath Sinha on Wednesday again appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the primary teachers recruitment case.

He visited the ED's office at CGO Complex in Kolkata's Salt Lake area after receiving a summons for the same from the central investigation agency.

The ED has questioned him twice as well.

On September 6, Sinha surrendered before the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in connection with the ED's investigation into the alleged irregularities in the primary school recruitment case.

Although the ED sought his custody, the court granted him an interim bail on a personal bond of Rs 10,000, subject to conditions.

The court said that although bail has been granted, Sinha will not be allowed to leave his Assembly constituency or Kolkata.

In August, West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose approved the charge sheet filed against Singh in the primary recruitment case. The charge sheet was accepted in a special court of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in Kolkata, after receiving the governor's approval.

The court ordered that Chandranath Sinha be summoned by the central investigation agency within 15 days. As a result, he was asked to surrender before the court by September 6.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED), on August 6, filed a charge sheet against Sinha in the primary teachers recruitment case, in a special court of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in the city.

Sinha is the second Minister in the Bengal government against whom ED had filed a charge sheet in this case, the first being the former West Bengal Education Minister and Trinamool Congress Secretary General Partha Chatterjee.

Sinha is a two-time Trinamool MLA from the Bolpur Assembly constituency in Birbhum district. He twice avoided appearing before the ED officers.

The ED officials first secured the name of the Minister from the diary of the middleman and now suspended Trinamool Congress leader Kuntal Ghosh, who was later arrested by the central agency officials.

In March last year, the ED officials conducted raid and search operations at the Minister's residence at Bolpur in Birbhum district.

After the raid, the ED officials seized cash worth Rs 41 lakh and a mobile phone from Sinha's residence.

Sinha is known to be close to Trinamool Congress strongman and former Trinamool Congress district president in Birbhum, Anubrata Mondal.

--IANS

sch/dan