Kolkata, August 18: A Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Kolkata has extended the judicial custody of former West Bengal Minister Partha Chatterjee and his close associate Arpita Mukherjee till August 31 in connection with the School Service Commission (SSC) recruitment scam case.

The court had on August 5 sent Partha Chatterjee and Arpita Mukherjee to judicial custody till August 18 in connection with the recruitment scam. During the hearing ahead of the August 5 ruling, the advocate of Arpita Mukherjee did not plead for her bail as they believed that her life is in danger. He urged the court that she should not be kept with more than four prisoners. The Enforcement Directorate had sought judicial custody of Arpita Mukherjee.

Partha Chatterjee's advocate had said that he is not connected with the crime.

"In ED case on July 22, when his house was raided nothing has been recovered. If you try to ask a man who is not involved in the crime, he will obviously be non-cooperative," the advocate said. Partha Chatterjee and Arpita Mukherjee were arrested last month in connection with the recruitment scam. West Bengal SSC Recruitment Scam: ED Arrests TMC Minister Partha Chatterjee’s Aide Arpita Mukherjee.

The Enforcement Directorate had raided several premises allegedly linked to Arpita Mukherjee in the scam. The probe agency has recovered cash worth about Rs 50 crore, foreign currency, jewellery and gold biscuits in connection with its raids into the scam.

Chatterjee was education minister from 2014 to 2021 in the Trinamool Congress government. Following Chatterjee's arrest, he was removed as a minister and suspended from the Trinamool Congress.

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