The Supreme Court on May 8 directed the West Bengal government to take a decision on granting sanction for the prosecution of the co-accused involved in the West Bengal School Jobs Scam case, where former Education Minister Partha Chatterjee is a prime accused. This case revolves around alleged bribery for providing school jobs, investigated under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
A bench comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice NK Singh issued the order while adjourning Chatterjee’s bail application in the CBI case until July 17. The court instructed that the bail application be listed along with similar petitions filed by the co-accused.
"The State of West Bengal is directed to decide on granting sanction for prosecution in the cases of the petitioner's co-accused within two weeks. We have not expressed any opinion on the merits," the bench ordered.
This directive was issued after Chatterjee’s counsel argued that the trial was stalled due to the pending sanction for the co-accused, despite the sanction against Chatterjee himself being granted.
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Additional Solicitor General (ASG) SV Raju, representing the CBI, emphasized that the responsibility for granting prosecution sanction lies with the state government. He further stated that the co-accused had already filed Special Leave Petitions against the High Court's decision denying them bail, which are scheduled for a hearing in July.
Chatterjee’s counsel highlighted his deteriorating health condition, claiming he was bedridden. However, ASG Raju dismissed this claim, accusing Chatterjee of faking his condition and being "neck-deep in corruption."
The bench also expressed surprise over the Calcutta High Court delivering a split verdict on Chatterjee’s bail.
"We have reached a stage where in bail matters there are dissenting opinions. What is happening? In bail matters, HCs are having divergent views?!," Justice Kant remarked.
Background of the WB School Jobs Scam
The West Bengal School Jobs Scam surfaced in 2022, involving allegations of illegal recruitment of Assistant Teachers under the West Bengal Board of Primary Education. The scam led to the arrest of several high-profile individuals, including:
- Dr. Subires Bhattacharyya (Chairman of West Bengal Central School Service Commission)
- Ashok Kumar Saha (Secretary, WBCSSC)
- Dr. Kalyanmoy Ganguly (President of West Bengal Board of Secondary Education)
- Dr. Santi Prasad Sinha (Secretary of WBBSE)
- Partha Chatterjee (then Minister of Higher Education and School Education, West Bengal)
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The accused were charged under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) for allegedly abusing their public positions to demand bribes in exchange for school jobs.
Initially, the accused, including Partha Chatterjee, sought bail from the Calcutta High Court. However, in November 2024, a division bench of the High Court delivered a split verdict. While one judge granted bail to all accused, another judge denied bail to Chatterjee and four other education department officials. The matter was then heard by a single bench, which rejected the bail of Chatterjee and the four officials.
In December 2024, the Supreme Court granted Chatterjee bail in the related money laundering case, effective from February 1, 2025. However, his custody in the CBI case under the Prevention of Corruption Act continued.
Case Title: PARTHA CHATTERJEE Versus CENTRAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION, SLP(Crl) No. 2471-2472/2025
