Partha Chatterjee, Arpita Mukherjee sent to 14-day judicial custody in SSC recruitment scam

Former West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee and his aide Arpita Mukherjee have been sent to 14-day judicial custody in the SSC recruitment scam by a special court in Kolkata on Friday.

Special PMLA court judge Jibon Kumar Sadhu granted 14 days’ judicial remand of Chatterjee and Mukherjee on a prayer by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

The court rejected a bail prayer of the former minister and directed that Chatterjee and Mukherjee be produced again on August 18 when the matter will be heard again.

Chatterjee and Mukherjee have been in ED’s remand since their arrest on July 23 in connection with its probe into the money trail in illegal recruitments done by the School Service Commission (SSC) for West Bengal government-sponsored and aided schools.

The ED has claimed that it recovered Rs 49.80 crore in cash, jewellery and gold bars from apartments owned by Mukherjee, besides documents of properties and a company in joint holding.

The duo is facing charges under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).