NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to a suspended TMC leader Kuntal Ghosh in a CBI case related to teacher recruitment scam but restrained him from occupying any public office.
Kuntal Ghosh Gets SC Bail: Restrictions Imposed Amid Ongoing CBI Probe
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan provided the relief to Ghosh while directing he could not hold a public office for now.
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.
Teacher Recruitment Scam: TMC Leader Barred from Public Office Post-Bail
"It is too early to foresee the conclusion of the trial in 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.
Opposing the bail plea, the CBI claimed that the petitioner was a part of a widespread scam and a deep rooted conspiracy. He had created a fake website resembling the original website of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education.
The agency 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 central agency 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.
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, it claimed.
