India News | Teacher Recruitment Scam: HC Extends Stay on Single- Bench Order Summoning Bengal Minister to Appear Before CBI
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. In a temporary relief to senior West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee, a division bench of the Calcutta High Court Wednesday extended a stay for five weeks on an earlier order that directed him to appear before the CBI in connection with a petition alleging irregularities in appointment of assistant teachers in state government-aided schools. The division bench comprising Justices Subrata Talukder and A K Mukherjee also refused to accept the resignation of Justice (retired) R K Bag from the chairmanship of a committee appointed earlier by another division bench of the court to inquire into the allegations, and requested it to complete investigation in Group C-post appointments.
Kolkata, Apr 13 (PTI) In a temporary relief to senior West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee, a division bench of the Calcutta High Court Wednesday extended a stay for five weeks on an earlier order that directed him to appear before the CBI in connection with a petition alleging irregularities in appointment of assistant teachers in state government-aided schools. The division bench comprising Justices Subrata Talukder and A K Mukherjee also refused to accept the resignation of Justice (retired) R K Bag from the chairmanship of a committee appointed earlier by another division bench of the court to inquire into the allegations, and requested it to complete investigation in Group C-post appointments.
The panel has already submitted its report on the probe into Group-D appointments.
The bench directed that the stay granted by it on an order of Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay that asked Partha Chatterjee, who is at present holding the portfolios of parliamentary affairs, industry and commerce, to appear before the CBI by Tuesday evening, will continue for five weeks from Wednesday.
It also directed the Bag Committee to submit its report by May 13, when the matter will come up for hearing again.
Chatterjee was the state education minister when the alleged appointments were made.
The bench is hearing several appeals connected to appointments under the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) to posts of assistant teachers for Classes 9 and 10, Group-C and Group-D staff.
The court noted that Bag had through a communication of April 11 to the Registrar General of the high court, sought recusal from the inquiry.
"However, in the larger interests of the ultimate adjudication of the issues presented, the offer to resign by the chairperson is respectfully not accepted," the bench said.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)