Kolkata, Feb 26: West Bengal’s political corridors were set ablaze on Wednesday after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) named an ‘Abhishek Banerjee’ in its third supplementary charge sheet in the multi-crore cash-for-school job scam. The charge sheet, filed on February 21, references a 2017 audio recording in which an individual by the same name allegedly demanded ₹15 crore for facilitating illegal teacher appointments.
However, the agency did not specify whether the person mentioned is Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew, Abhishek Banerjee, whose name has frequently surfaced in opposition allegations regarding the scam.
Charge Sheet Details and Allegations
The 28-page charge sheet, now in the public domain, implicates Sujay Krishna Bhadra, known as ‘Kalighater Kaku,’ along with others in the irregularities linked to the 2014 Teachers Eligibility Test (TET) recruitment process for state-run primary schools.The CBI identified Bhadra as the Chief Operating Officer of M/S Leaps and Bounds Private Limited. Previously, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had listed Abhishek Banerjee as the company's CEO and a former director for a limited period.
The investigation uncovered a 2017 meeting at Bhadra’s Behala residence, attended by accused Kuntal Ghosh, Shantanu Banerjee, Aurobindo Roy Barman, and Surajit Chanda. The charge sheet cites a recorded conversation from the meeting, revealing the alleged collection of bribes from candidates seeking illegal appointments.
According to the CBI, the conversation details a dispute between ‘Abhishek Banerjee’ and former Education Minister Partha Chatterjee over the distribution of bribe money. The agency claims Bhadra stated that Abhishek Banerjee demanded ₹15 crore for appointments already facilitated, threatening to halt the process or have candidates arrested if additional payments were not made.
The charge sheet further alleges that Bhadra, Santanu Banerjee, and Ghosh planned to collect an additional ₹100 crore from 2,000 candidates. The money was purportedly intended for distribution, with ₹20 crore each allocated to Chatterjee, Abhishek Banerjee, and co-accused former primary board president and TMC MLA Manik Bhattacharya.
Abhishek Banerjee's Response
Reacting to the charge sheet, Abhishek Banerjee’s lawyer, Sanjay Basu, issued a strong rebuttal, dismissing the allegations as “misleading and unsubstantiated” and labeling the CBI’s claims as “a fishing expedition aimed at harassing” his client.“Despite my client’s full cooperation with the ED and the CBI—appearing whenever summoned and submitting all necessary documents—the agency has resorted to baseless allegations. Notably, the ED, which is responsible for investigating the alleged proceeds of crime, has not filed any charge sheet against my client, highlighting the absence of incriminating evidence,” Basu stated.
He criticized the charge sheet for lacking corroborative proof, stating that “no supporting documents have been appended to substantiate these claims.”
Banerjee also accused central agencies of being politically manipulated, asserting that the allegations were part of a “deliberate attempt to tarnish his reputation” and push a motivated narrative.
Political Ramifications
With opposition parties seizing on the latest developments, the case is expected to fuel further political confrontations in West Bengal ahead of upcoming elections. While Banerjee has vowed to “fight relentlessly to expose this conspiracy,” the charge sheet will likely intensify scrutiny over the alleged recruitment scam.As the legal battle unfolds, the case remains at the center of Bengal’s political storm, with the ruling TMC and opposition parties locked in a war of accusations.
