Kolkata 5 Aug : A special Public Money Laundering Act court (PMLA) on Friday sentenced the former state minister Partha Chatterjee and his assistant Arpita Mukherjee for 14 days of in judicial detention in the context with the multi-crore West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) recruitment scam.Both cases must be in the same venue on the 18th of August.
Chatterjee’s lawyer sought to challenge the assertion of Enforcement Directorate (ED) counsel that bail should not be granted to Chatterjee because of his “influential connections” as an ex-minister and heavyweight leader of the ruling party the ruling party, arguing Chatterjee was already removed of the ministerial and party portfolios , and consequently the claim of “influential connections” is not really a valid argument.any ground.
“My client is now ready to quit as an MLA.He will not disappear under any circumstances.There was no wealth recovery conducted from his residence and therefore, he should be granted bail due to his age as well as the numerous medical conditions he was suffering from,” counsel argued.
He added that various documents pertaining to property or insurance policies that were jointly owned by Chatterjee Mukherjee and Chatterjee Mukherjee were fake.
The counsel for ED’s office stated that throughout his time in the central agency’s detention facility, Chatterjee had been in an uncooperative mood and, therefore, there is an obligation to investigate further.It also sought the approval of the court to allow the sleuths from the central agency could visit the correctional facility in which Chatterjee will be kept and question Chatterjee there.
On the contrary, Mukherjee’s lawyer did not seek a bail for his client.Instead, he appealed for a status inmate of division one category in the jail in which she will be housed until she poses a threat to her safety in the prison is deemed to be a threat.
The ED counsel suggested that the central agency also is armed with similar data.”My appeal to the judge is that liquids and food that will be given to Arpita Mukherjee in the prisons must be examined before being distributed,” the ED counsel claimed.
After hearing from all parties involved the court decided to deny Chatterjee’s bail request and gave 14 days of judicial custody for the couple.
The state General Secretary of Trinamool Congress and party’s spokesman, Kunal Ghosh said that Chatterjee should not be given any privileges in the prisons and must be treated in the same way with other prisoners.”Not jail hospitals, but a regular prison cell needs to be allocated to Chatterjee.If I learn that Partha Chatterjee is enjoying special status or is receiving special facilities in the prisons I will continue to protest,” Ghosh said.
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