Bengal school jobs scam accused Arpita Mukherjee granted bail by ED court

Kolkata: A designated ED court here on Monday granted bail to Arpita Mukherjee, who was arrested by the central agency in July 2022 in connection with the school jobs scam in West Bengal.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) accused her of being a close associate of former West Bengal education minister Partha Chatterjee, who is also in custody since his arrest on the same day -- July 23, 2022.

Granting bail to Mukherjee, who was in judicial remand, the ED court judge at Bankshall Court here directed her to furnish a bond of Rs 5 lakh with adequate sureties, half of which should be local.

She was also directed not to leave the territorial jurisdiction of Kolkata Police without the leave of this court and would have to appear before the court on every day of hearing of the school jobs case.

Chatterjee and Mukherjee were arrested by the ED in connection with its probe into the money trail in illegal appointments of teaching and non-teaching staff in West Bengal government-sponsored and aided schools.

The ED has claimed to have recovered Rs 49.80 crore, jewellery and gold bars from flats owned by Mukherjee and documents of properties and a company in joint holdings.

The ED court also directed Mukherjee to surrender her passport, if any, within 48 hours of being released from the correctional home where she is lodged.

She will have to appear before the ED for the purpose of further investigation as and when called for, the judge directed.

Mukherjee's lawyer prayed for her bail on the ground that she has been in custody for more than one-third of the maximum period of imprisonment if found guilty in the case she is accused of.

The judge noted that the Supreme Court has clarified that an accused is entitled to be released on bail if he or she is a first-time offender upon completing one-third of the maximum sentence.

The charges against Mukherjee in the ED case entail a maximum seven years' sentence.