Bengal school jobs scam: SC refuses to stay Calcutta HC order allowing CBI, ED to probe TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee

A vacation bench of Justices J K Maheshwari and P S Narasimha listed for hearing in July. “Re-list in the week commencing July 10. Till the next date of listing, the imposition of the cost part by the impugned order shall remain stayed,” the bench said, news agency PTI reported.

On Monday, days after being summoned by the CBI for questioning in connection with the scam, Banerjee asserted that “threats by central agencies” can’t deter him from public service. The TMC national general secretary dared the BJP to “fight him in the people’s court rather than using the shield of central agencies”.

SC refuses to stay Calcutta HC order allowing ED & CBI to quiz TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee in connection with West Bengal teacher recruitment scam. Issues notice & stays part of the order imposing are 25 lakh cost on him. @IndianExpress

— Ananthakrishnan G (@axidentaljourno) May 26, 2023

The CBI and ED were probing Abhishek Banerjee’s alleged role in irregularities in the recruitment of teaching and non-teaching staff at government schools in West Bengal. The recruitment scam pertains to the hiring of thousands of teachers across Bengal’s educational system in 2016. A series of petitions were filed in the High Court alleging anomalies in the recruitment process, and several cases were taken up by the court.