CBI, ED file reports to Calcutta High Court on probe into primary school recruitment scam

Kolkata: The CBI on Tuesday filed a report in sealed cover before the Calcutta High Court in its probe into alleged primary school jobs scam, stating that the stages involved in it show how corruption was converted into a form of art.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) also filed a separate report in sealed cover on its progress in the proceeds of crime in connection with the alleged scam.

Submitting a report on the alleged irregularities in the recruitment of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education before the court, the CBI counsel stated that the stages involved in it showed how corruption was converted into a form of art.

ED counsel Dhiraj Trivedi submitted that the central agency has attached eight properties valued at Rs 7.5 crore of Leaps and Bounds, a private company, apprehending that these are proceeds of crime.

The ED had earlier stated that Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee is the CEO of Leaps and Bounds and had also been one of its directors for a limited period.

Taking the reports on record, Justice Amrita Sinha asked the ED joint director and one of the senior doctors of the medical team constituted by an ESI Hospital here on the request of the agency to conduct voice sample test of an accused to be present before the court virtually.

The ED is seeking voice sample testing of accused Sujoy Krishna Bhadra, who is at present admitted to state-run SSKM Hospital.

The judge said that she would like to know from the doctor how the process of the voice sample test is done and how long it will take.

Submitting the CBI's report, its counsel Billwadal Bhattacharya stated that on a perusal of the report, it seems that corruption is hanging like an albatross around the neck of the entire process of recruitment.

The 2014 Teachers' Eligibility Test (TET) was held for the process of recruitment in 42,949 declared vacancies in various schools in the state under the primary board.

Pointing out the salient features of the report, Bhattacharya submitted that a chartered accountant firm S Basu Ray and Co, which was given the work related to recruitment of teachers by the primary education board, took on the role of data processing and computer consultancy, including examination processing and software preparation and marketing.

He stated that this company is a sham which is in the front and there are other entities and firms which have been formed, and the entire process of recruitment had been undertaken illegally.

The CBI counsel said the report states that the results declared were also opaque and that employees of the Board had entered into a conspiracy with the company to make illegal appointments.

It was also stated that confidential documents related to TET 2014 were illegally disposed of, and such destruction of the documents was with malafide intention, Bhattacharya submitted.

He stated that the OMR sheets were designed by the private company in such a manner that the identity of a candidate cannot be established from these and this was done without the approval of the board.

'It was done deliberately to maintain complete opaqueness in so far as the recruitment process is concerned,' he submitted.

In the municipal recruitment scam, the CBI is in the process of investigation, he submitted.

In 17 municipalities across the state, recruitment was done by the agency of one Ayan Seal, who is in custody, Bhattacharya submitted.

A total of 1,829 recruitments have been made in these 17 municipal bodies, he stated.