Kolkata, June 8: The Calcutta High Court dismissed the petition of former West Bengal Fire Services Minister Sujit Bose on Monday. Bose sought to annul the Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) filed against him by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) concerning his alleged involvement in a multi-crore scam related to municipal recruitment.
Justice Krishna Rao, presiding over a single-judge vacation bench, advised Bose to apply for bail. The judge also rejected Bose’s request for expedited hearing in this matter.
Bose has been in judicial custody since his arrest by ED officials on the night of May 11, following extensive questioning regarding the bribery case linked to municipal jobs.
On Monday, Bose’s lawyer informed the court that the case was supposed to be included in the day’s hearing list. However, due to its absence, they were making a special request for immediate attention.
The single-judge vacation bench was not satisfied with this argument. Justice Rao questioned the need for urgent hearing on the petition to annul the ECIR.
He then advised the lawyer that if deemed necessary, they could file for bail in this case. The next hearing is scheduled for July.
Bose, a three-time Trinamool Congress MLA from the Bidhannagar assembly constituency in North 24 Parganas, recently lost in the assembly elections.
He is accused of illegally recommending names for jobs in the South Dumdum municipality during the corruption investigation. According to ED sources, the list includes around 150 job seekers.
The ED stated that the money earned through corruption was transferred to bank accounts, prompting an investigation into several associated accounts.
Before his arrest, the ED had raided Bose’s home and office. Additionally, central investigation officials searched a roadside eatery run by the former minister.
Leave a Comment