Local court Grants Two-Day ED Custody To Partha Chatterjee

The Bankshall Court in Kolkata granted two days Enforcement Directorate custody to West Bengal cabinet minister Partha Chatterjee on Saturday. However, Chatterjee has developed heart pain and will be admitted to SSKM hospital.

ED has prayed before the magistrate to allow Chatterjee to be taken to Command Hospital instead of state-run SSKM. ED said that Chatterjee is a senior minister and his roots are deep in government hospitals, where he can be influential. However, the court ordered Chatterjee to be taken to SSKM Hospital. The hearing is underway and order is awaited.
Chatterjee, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on Saturday, developed heart pain and earlier today demanded “proper medical facilities” if ED’s custody is granted, Chatterjee’s lawyer Somnath Mukherjee had told the media persons in Kolkata.

“Partha Chatterjee (West Bengal cabinet minister and former Education Minister of the state) is not feeling well. He has developed heartache. We demanded that proper medical facilities should be given to him if ED’s custody is granted,” said Chatterjee’s lawyer.

Enforcement Directorate, earlier today, arrested Chatterjee following the raids by the central probe agency which seized Rs 20 crore in cash from the premises of his close associate Arpita Mukherjee, in connection with an alleged teacher recruitment scam in the state.

Notably, the arrests were made at Chatterjee’s residence in Kolkata. The ED team was at the spot since yesterday.

Earlier on Friday, Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials raided the residences of Bengal ministers Partha Chatterjee and Paresh Adhikari and several others and recovered huge cash amounting to approximately Rs 20 crore from the residential premises of Arpita Mukherjee, who is a close associate of Partha Chatterjee.

The said amount is suspected to be the proceeds of crime of said SSC scam. The search team is taking the assistance of bank officials for the counting of cash through cash counting machines.

A total of more than 20 mobile phones have also been recovered from the premises of Arpita Mukherjee, the purpose and use of which are being ascertained, said the probe agency.

Besides cash, a number of other incriminating documents, records, details of dubious companies, electronic devices, foreign currency and gold has also been recovered from the various premises of the persons linked to the scam. (ANI)