Bengal School Job Case: Confidential Statement of Partha Chatterjee’s Son-in-Law Recorded Today

A special court in Kolkata is set to record a confidential statement from Kalyanmoy Bhattacharya, son-in-law of former West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee, today, under Section 164 of the CrPC, in the multi-crore school jobs scam case.

Bhattacharya, granted approval on March 11 by the special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court to turn approver, is expected to provide critical insights into the financial irregularities tied to the scandal that has rocked the state’s education sector.

Bhattacharya, named as an accused beneficiary in the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) supplementary chargesheets, petitioned the court on March 10 to become an approver, a move sources say could tighten the case against Chatterjee, arrested in July 2022 alongside aide Arpita Mukherjee after Rs 40 crore in cash was seized from her residences.

The ED alleges Bhattacharya, a trustee of the Babli Chatterjee Memorial Trust—named after Chatterjee’s late wife—played a key role in diverting illicit funds, disguised as donations, to acquire properties. His statement, to be given before a judicial magistrate, is conditional: exemption from charges hinges on revealing new, actionable details, per the court’s March 16 ruling.

The scam, spanning Chatterjee’s 2014-2021 tenure, involves alleged cash-for-jobs dealings in teacher recruitment. With 53 accused—including 29 individuals and 24 entities like the trust—the ED has confiscated Rs 239.26 crore so far. Bhattacharya’s cooperation could unravel the money trail further, especially as Chatterjee, denied bail by the Calcutta High Court in December 2024, remains in custody despite a Supreme Court bail grant in the ED case effective February 1, pending CBI proceedings.

Today’s recording, anticipated since his approval, marks a pivotal moment in a case exposing deep corruption in Bengal’s education system.