West Bengal Governor approves including former min in CBI chargesheet

The CBI told a special court on Thursday that West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose has given his approval to the inclusion of the name of arrested former state education minister Partha Chatterjee in the chargesheet filed by CBI in the alleged irregularities in the recruitment of teachers in government and government-sponsored schools.

According to the rule, the governor's approval is necessary to include the name of a state minister in any chargesheet.

Chatterjee was first arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on July 22, 2022 and then by CBI in connection with his alleged involvement in the teachers recruitment scam. The former minister has been in prison since his arrest.

On July 28 that year he was removed from the Bengal ministry, in which he held the portfolios of information, commerce and industry.

"We informed the court on Thursday that the governor has finally given his approval to include Partha Chatterjee's name in the chargesheet. The court can take a decision on its next move," a CBI official said.

In addition to Chatterjee, the investigating agencies have arrested five more persons including former senior officers of the state Board of Secondary Education and the West Bengal School Service Commission for their alleged involvement in the scam.