Calcutta HC orders removal of ED officer from teacher recruitment scam case probe

PTI, Kolkata, Sep 29, 2023 : The Calcutta High Court on Friday ordered the immediate removal of Enforcement Directorate (ED) assistant director Mithilesh Kumar Mishra from the central agency’s team probing the alleged primary teacher recruitment scam in West Bengal.

The court said it was dissatisfied with Mishra’s answers to its queries during his appearance before it in the previous hearing.

“The director, Enforcement Directorate, is directed to immediately assign the work entrusted to Mithilesh Kumar Mishra to some other competent officer,” Justice Amrita Sinha ordered.

The court directed that Mishra be relieved from investigating the present case.

The ED director was ordered to engage Mishra in some other case, “but the said officer will not be entrusted to investigate any case arising in the state of West Bengal,” Justice Sinha said.

Mishra had summoned Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee, who the ED said is the CEO of a firm named ‘Leaps and Bounds’, to appear before him on October 3 in connection with the probe into the alleged scam.

The ED had conducted searches at the premises of Leaps and Bounds in August.

Petitioner’s counsel Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya brought to the notice of the court that Banerjee’s message on X where the TMC MP said he will be in Delhi on October 2 and 3 to take part in a protest of the party demanding payment of dues of 100-day job workers from the state.

“The fight against the deprivation of WB and its rightful dues shall persist regardless of the obstacles. No force on Earth can hinder my dedication to fight for the people of WB and their fundamental rights. I’ll b in Delhi joining the protest on Oct 2nd & 3rd,” Banerjee posted on ‘X’.

Banerjee had appeared before the ED on September 13 in connection with a previous summons in the case.

ED counsel Dhiraj Trivedi submitted before the court that the central agency is not leaving any stone unturned in probing the case and that a comprehensive report will be submitted on October 10.

Trivedi claimed that the officers probing the case are “very apprehensive” as they do not have any central security cover as of now.

He submitted that more officers have been inducted into the investigating team and that the agency will come up with a comprehensive report on progress of the probe on October 10.

Taking note of a report by Mishra, the court said on the last occasion when he was present before the court, the assistant director was unable to provide satisfactory answers to its queries.

“The court is convinced that the said officer will not be competent enough to handle the recruitment scam case which is of a huge magnitude,” the court observed.

Justice Sinha directed the officers investigating the case to take necessary steps to conclude the probe at the earliest.