Supreme Court grants bail to suspended TMC youth wing leader Kuntal Ghosh in teachers recruitment scam case

The court also noted though charge sheet has been filed in January this year but no cognisance can be taken as the CBI proposed to file supplementary charge sheet and there was no likelihood of completion of trial in foreseeable future.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to a suspended TMC leader Kuntal Ghosh in a CBI case related to a teacher recruitment scam.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan granted the relief while directing he could not hold a public office for now.

The court also noted that though a charge sheet was filed in January this year, no cognisance can be taken as the CBI proposed to file a supplementary charge sheet and there was no likelihood of completion of trial in the foreseeable future.

"It is too early to foresee the conclusion of the trial in the near future. The detention of the petitioner in custody for an indefinite period will not be in conformity with well-settled principles of criminal jurisprudence," the bench said.

The petitioner's counsel said he was arrested on February 20, 2023, and he has been granted bail by the Calcutta High Court in the case related to money laundering lodged by the Enforcement Directorate.

The CBI opposed the bail plea, claiming that the petitioner was a part of a widespread scam and deep-rooted conspiracy and had created a fake website resembling the original website of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education.

It claimed bribes to the sum of Rs four crores were collected from undeserving candidates to recruit them.

It also contended that Ghosh was an influential person belonging to the ruling party in West Bengal and his release would result in the intimidation of the witnesses.

The court, however, said the investigation has not yet been completed.

Ghosh was first arrested by the ED on January 21, 2023.

The ED alleged TMC's youth wing leader Ghosh collected Rs 20 lakh from each job seeker, and deposited more than Rs 6.5 crore in two bank accounts in his name, one at ICICI Bank and another at Indusland Bank. The amount was immediately transferred to other bank accounts for investment purposes.

The ED also claimed Ghosh forayed into the entertainment industry and formed a partnership firm to develop music videos and short films. The collected money was used to buy high-end vehicles for Tollywood stars.