In a significant development, the Calcutta High Court announced on Friday, September 26, 2025, that former West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee has been granted bail. This decision pertains to the teacher recruitment irregularities case, which has been under intense investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Chatterjee is a central figure in Bengal’s notorious cash-for-jobs scam, an alleged multi-crore rupee scandal within state-run schools that has shaken the political landscape for years. His bail specifically addresses the primary school recruitment irregularities, a case where the CBI filed its charge sheet on December 27 of the previous year.
Despite this new development, the former minister has already spent more than three years in custody. While he had previously secured bail in other related cases brought by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and CBI, this latest order now makes him technically eligible for release, pending the completion of bail bond formalities.
However, legal experts are casting doubt on whether Chatterjee will truly walk free before the upcoming Durga Puja festival. They suggest that a prior Supreme Court directive in a connected case means his release procedures cannot be finalized until the courts resume operations after the holiday period.
As part of the bail conditions, Justice Suvra Ghosh’s bench explicitly instructed Chatterjee to surrender his passport and refrain from leaving the trial court’s jurisdiction.
Furthermore, Justice Ghosh mandated that the Trinamool Congress MLA must not be appointed to any public office while the trial is ongoing. Chatterjee is also required to appear before the trial court for every scheduled hearing.
It’s important to note that on August 18, the Supreme Court had also granted Chatterjee bail in another CBI-investigated case. However, that order stipulated that his release was contingent upon the trial court formally recording the statements of crucial witnesses.
Justices M.M. Sundresh and N. Kotiswar Singh, presiding over that Supreme Court bench, had observed that Chatterjee’s nearly three-year imprisonment already constituted a ‘travesty of justice,’ highlighting concerns about prolonged pre-trial detention.
The Supreme Court also issued a directive for charges to be formally framed against public servants under the Prevention of Corruption Act within four weeks, with witness statements to be recorded within two months.
As per Calcutta High Court lawyers, the witness statement recording process related to the Supreme Court’s order remains incomplete. This means Chatterjee cannot yet post his bail bond and will likely remain in custody until the courts reconvene after the Durga Puja holidays.
In the present case, which specifically targets illegal primary school appointments, the CBI’s December 27 charge sheet implicated not only Chatterjee but also Ayan Sil, a private developer already facing charges in the state municipal body recruitment scam, and Santu Gangopadhyay, another private promoter and alleged close associate of the former minister.
Notably, Kalyanmoy Bhattacharya, Chatterjee’s son-in-law and a co-accused in this intricate case, has agreed to become a state approver, potentially offering critical insights into the alleged irregularities.
Chatterjee, who served as the state education minister and secretary general of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) at the time, was arrested by the CBI on July 22, 2022. His arrest followed extensive overnight raids at his south Kolkata home, where investigators reportedly confiscated incriminating documents. These documents allegedly detailed 12 immovable properties linked to Chatterjee’s close associates and revealed irregularities in the appointment of Group D staff.
Further searches at the residence of Arpita Mukherjee, a key associate of Chatterjee, uncovered an astonishing haul: nearly ₹50 crore in cash and gold jewelry valued at over ₹5 crore, further intensifying the scope of the investigation.
The allegations against Chatterjee center on his alleged involvement in a systematic racket. This scheme purportedly facilitated the illegal appointment of unqualified candidates to various positions within the education department, including primary school teachers and assistant school teachers.
The scandal came to light after numerous unsuccessful candidates, who had appeared for the teachers’ eligibility test administered by the West Bengal Board of Primary Education, petitioned the Calcutta High Court. Responding to these petitions, the High Court on June 8, 2022, mandated a CBI investigation into the serious allegations.
Following the High Court’s order, the CBI promptly registered a First Information Report (FIR) the very next day. Shortly thereafter, on June 24, 2022, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) initiated its own case, targeting several key officials within the State education department in connection with the scam.