look news india
New Delhi, 04 December (HS). The Supreme Court has reserved its decision on the bail plea of former state education minister Partha Chatterjee, accused in the West Bengal primary teacher recruitment scam case. The bench headed by Justice Surya Kant ordered to reserve the decision.
Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Partha Chatterjee, said that the trial of this case will be delayed as there are 183 witnesses. The accused in this case has already served one-third of the maximum sentence of seven years in custody. The accused is 73 years old and is suffering from health related problems. The female accused, from whose house the money was found, has also been granted bail.
ASG SV Raju, appearing for the ED, opposed the bail plea saying that Partha Chatterjee was involved in large-scale corruption, due to which around 50 thousand candidates were affected. Raju said that Partha Chatterjee is an influential person and can influence witnesses if released. Earlier, Calcutta High Court had rejected the bail plea of Partha Chatterjee. The High Court had found that the ED had seized movable and immovable assets worth Rs 54.88 crore from premises linked to Chatterjee.