Cal HC extends its stay for four more weeks for appearance of Partha Chatterjee before CBI

Kolkata, April 13 : Calcutta High court on Wednesday further extended its stay for another four weeks for the appearance of West Bengal’s former education minister Partha Chatterjee (now commerce and industry minister) before the CBI officials in relation to alleged government schools teachers’ recruitment irregularities cases of the state school service commission (SSC). The division bench comprising Justices Subrata Talukder and A K Mukherjee extended its Tuesday’s stay order for another four weeks after the counsels of Chatterjee approached the double bench to challenge justice Abhijit Gangopadhaya’s directive for his appearance before the CBI officials by 5 30 pm on Tuesday. In the impugned order, Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay had directed the then Education Minister Partha Chatterjee to appear before the CBI for interrogation by Tuesday evening. He had further granted liberty to the CBI to interrogate Chatterjee by taking him into custody if the CBI thinks that Chatterjee is not cooperating with the CBI. The division bench also rejected R K Bag’s resignation from the chairmanship of a committee formed earlier by another division bench of the court to investigate the allegations of SSC recruitment scams and asked the committee to complete investigations 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 to appear before the CBI by Tuesday evening will continue for four weeks from Wednesday. The bench also directed the Bag Committee to submit its report by May 13, when the matter will come up for hearing again. PC SJC ARN