The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday faced criticism at a special court in Kolkata’s Bichar Bhavan for not submitting necessary documents in the alleged cash-for-job scam within the West Bengal Board of Primary Education (WBPE).
The central agency had filed a chargesheet on December 27 last year, naming former West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee among the accused. However, more than a month later, the CBI has yet to provide the required documents to the accused, leading the court to question the thoroughness of its investigation.
The CBI, meanwhile, expressed its intent to collect voice samples from Sujaykrisha Bhadra, a co-accused in the primary recruitment scam. Bhadra, however, failed to appear in court for four consecutive days, citing health issues.
In response, the court directed him to be present on February 5.
On Friday, the CBI also faced similar criticism for delaying the submission of required documents in the RG Kar financial irregularities case. The agency had filed a chargesheet in the financial irregularities case in November last year, naming Ghosh and four others as accused.
During a hearing at the Alipore district & sessions court in Kolkata, the central agency came up with only 70 per cent of the documents, assuring the court that it would submit the rest on Saturday.
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The court, however, expressed concerns over the delay, stating that it was impractical to summon the accused to court repeatedly while the agency failed to furnish all necessary documents. The judge also questioned whether the CBI would take responsibility in case of any security concerns arising from such repeated appearances.
This delay in submission of documents from the CBI comes after Calcutta High Court on Tuesday instructed the lower court to begin the trial in the RG Kar financial irregularities case within seven days.
On Thursday, the special court reprimanded the central agency for failing to inform it about the West Bengal government’s permission to proceed against Ghosh and co-accused Ashish Pandey.
Being state government employees, prior approval was required from the state before charges could be framed against Ghosh and Pandey. The special CBI court accused the investigative agency of bypassing the trial court and informing the high court directly.
Meanwhile, Ghosh and Pandey approached the Calcutta High Court on Friday, seeking an extension of the seven-day deadline for framing charges. Justice Tirthankar Ghosh instructed them to notify the Centre’s additional solicitor general and present their arguments before the lower court.
