sc-grants-bail-to-tmc-mla-manik-bhattacharya-s-son-in-money-laundering-case

The Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to Souvik Bhattacharya, son of Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Manik Bhattacharya, in a money laundering case related to the West Bengal teachers’ recruitment scam.

 

Souvik Bhattacharya, who was summoned by the trial court in connection with the case, had surrendered and was remanded in judicial custody last year.

 

The top court took note of the fact that Souvik surrendered and went to judicial custody despite the fact that he was not specifically summoned as an accused.

 

A bench of Justices Bela M Trivedi and Pankaj Mithal granted the relief after noting that no specific order summoning Souvik as an accused was passed by the trial court.

 

The bench said there was no application of mind by the trial court.

 

The top court had on December 21 last year sought the ED’s response on a plea filed by him seeking bail.

 

The ED arrested Manik Bhattacharya on October 11, 2022 after night-long questioning. Bhattacharya, a former chairman of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education, was arrested for allegedly not cooperating with the investigation.

 

He is an MLA from the Palashipara seat in Nadia district.

 

The top court had earlier dismissed Manik Bhattacharya’s plea against his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the alleged irregularities in the recruitment of primary school teachers, observing that the federal agency’s action was not illegal.

 

The ED is tracking the money trail in the alleged scam, while the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is looking into the alleged irregularities committed in the recruitment.

 

It is alleged that several people who fared poorly in the recruitment examinations were hired as teachers in exchange for money while eligible candidates were overlooked.