The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday submitted its final charge sheet in the West Bengal municipality recruitment corruption case before the Alipore Court, naming senior IAS officer Jyotishman Chatterjee and businessman Ayan Shil’s company, ABS Infozone, as accused. The development marks a significant escalation in the probe into one of the state’s largest alleged recruitment scams.
According to the charge sheet, the CBI has alleged that more than 600 illegal appointments were made across eight municipalities, including North Dum Dum, South Dum Dum, Kamarhati, and Baranagar. “At the time when the irregularities took place, Chatterjee was serving as the Director of the Directorate of Local Bodies (DLB), the department responsible for overseeing municipal affairs. A charge sheet had earlier been filed against Panchu Gopal Roy, the former chairman of the South Dum Dum Municipality, in connection with the same case,” said a CBI officer.
Sources within the central agency said the names of several close associates of political leaders and influential figures surfaced during the course of the investigation.
“Based on evidence gathered during interrogation and document analysis, we decided to prepare and file a fresh charge sheet detailing the role of these individuals and the wider network involved in the alleged scam. The municipality recruitment corruption case came to light following the arrest of businessman Shil in the school recruitment scam. During a subsequent search of his Salt Lake office, we recovered multiple OMR sheets and answer scripts, which raised serious questions about irregularities in municipal recruitment examinations,” said the officer of the central agency.
Investigators later found that Shil’s company, ABS Infozone, was entrusted with OMR-related work for municipal recruitment exams, providing a crucial link between the businessman and the alleged manipulation of the selection process.
Following this discovery, the CBI arrested a number of accused connected to the recruitment process. The agency had filed its first charge sheet in the case in 2024, outlining in detail the alleged exchange of money for jobs and the modus operandi adopted to secure appointments. According to that charge sheet, several candidates obtained jobs through two of Ayan Shil’s agents, who allegedly collected an average commission of Rs 50,000 from each job seeker.
The CBI further claimed that illegal appointments were made in at least 16 municipalities, including Kolkata. The charge sheet named one agent, Shamik Chowdhury, described as a close associate of Ayan Shil. Investigators alleged that 10 to 12 candidates were appointed to various municipalities through Shamik. Another agent, Debesh Chakraborty, also known as Kanuda, was also named, through whom at least 14 candidates allegedly secured municipal jobs in exchange for money.
Beyond the 600 illegal appointments highlighted in the latest charge sheet, the CBI has claimed that as many as 1,829 people were illegally appointed through the municipal recruitment process overall. Investigators said every stage of these appointments — ranging from examination conduct and evaluation to final selection — remains under close scrutiny as part of the ongoing probe.
The filing of the final charge sheet is expected to accelerate legal proceedings in the case, which has already sent shockwaves through the state’s administrative and political circles.
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