The Enforcement Directorate, which is probing the multi-layered education recruitment scam in West Bengal, has attached properties, cash and jewellery worth a total of Rs 544.8 crore in the case. Partha Chattopadhyay, close aide of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and a top Trinamool Congress leader and former Education Minister, has been under arrest since 2022 for his role in perpetrating the scam along with a host of alleged co-conspirators with close links to Bengal’s ruling party. He is the designated prime accused in the case.
The latest attachment by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) includes properties worth ₹163.20 crores held in the name of Prasanna Kumar Roy, an accused “middleman” in the alleged illegal recruitment of Group C and Group D staff in State-run schools by officials of West Bengal Central School Service Commission (WBCSSC). In its statement, the Enforcement Directorate described Roy as “the main middleman involved in the alleged collection of money and details from candidates” in connection to the purported illegal recruitment of teaching and non-teaching staff by the WBCSSC.
Thousands of recruitments conducted by the WBCSSC for teaching and non-teaching vacancies for classes nine to 12 were linked to the cash-for-school jobs recruitment “scam”.
“The allegation includes job appointments without maintaining fairness, in a criminal conspiracy by various persons and by flouting the relevant Rules,” the ED mentioned in their statement.
According to its statement, the Enforcement Directorate attached five hotels and resorts, and immovable properties held by Roy, his wife Kajal Soni Roy, and his company, M/s Shree Durga Dealcom Private Limited. The attached properties include five hotels and resorts, namely Chalankita Resort situated at Shyampur, Howrah, Royal Bengal Resort situated at Sundarbans, Hotel Mili (Rubina) situated at Digha, Hotel Murti situated at Jalpaiguri, Bamboo Village Resort situated at Alipurduar; and 120 Land Parcels held in the name of M/s Shree Durga Dealcom Private Limited, 64 Land Parcels and 12 Flats/Office/Shops held in the name of Prasanna Kumar Roy and 34 Land Parcels and 17 Flats/Office/Shops held in the name of Kajal Soni Roy.
The Enforcement Directorate had initiated the investigation on two FIRs registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 and Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 in the alleged illegal appointment of Group ‘C’ and ‘D’ employees.
Earlier, the CBI chargesheets in this matter revealed that a total of 3,432 Group C and Group D staff were allegedly recommended and/or appointed illegally by the officials of WBCSSC, allegedly “in criminal conspiracy with others”.
The Enforcement Directorate had earlier arrested Roy and had attached properties worth ₹230.6 crores in connection to the alleged illegal recruitment of assistant teachers in classes Class IX, X, XI, and XII in State-run schools in West Bengal. Santi Prasad Sinha, the then Advisor of WBCSSC, had also been arrested by the ED in connection to the assistant teachers’ recruitments.
Both Roy and Sinha are currently in judicial custody.
In a separate case of illegal recruitments of primary level teachers in West Bengal’s Government-run schools, the Enforcement Directorate had earlier attached and/or seized properties worth ₹151 crores.