Municipality recruitment case: Bengal govt approaches Calcutta HC opposing CBI probe

According to high court sources, the appeal will come up for hearing on Wednesday

Tapas Ghosh, TT, Calcutta, 17.05.23:  The Mamata Banerjee government on Tuesday moved an appeal against the decision of Justice Amrita Sinha of Calcutta High Court, who refused to grant a stay on the CBI probe ordered by Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay into the alleged scam in recruiting employees in seven municipalities across Bengal.

The division bench of Justice Arijit Banerjee and Justice Apurba Kumar Sinha on Tuesday granted the state government leave to move the appeal against the CBI probe order.

According to high court sources, the appeal will come up for hearing on Wednesday before the division bench comprising Justices Banerjee and Sinha.

The CBI had informed Justice Gangopadhyay that during a raid conducted at the residence of Ayan Sil, one of the main accused in a primary teacher recruitment “scam” case, the agency had recovered some documents that prove that at least 5,000 employees were recruited in seven civic bodies in exchange of bribes.

The agency prayed for permission to start a new case probing the purportedly illegal appointment of employees in the municipalities, similar to the ongoing cases pertaining to the alleged irregular recruitment of teachers and staff in state-aided schools. Justice Gangopadhyay assented to the CBI prayer and allowed the central agency to file an FIR in this matter.

After this, the case was shifted to Justice Sinha’s court from that of Justice Gangopadhyay based on a Supreme Court order earlier this month.

The state then moved a petition before Justice Sinha, seeking a review of the order passed by Justice Gangopadhyay. But Justice Sinha dismissed the state’s petition.

So, the state then decided to move the division bench against Justice Sinha's decision.