The Calcutta High Court directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to interrogate West Bengal minister Paresh Adhikari in connection with the Class 11th and Class 12th teacher recruitment scam.
The court also urged Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Governor Jagdeep Dhankar to remove Adhikari from the state cabinet.
The order was passed on a plea by a candidate who alleged that she was stolen a job opportunity despite scoring higher marks in the teacher recruitment examination.
The petitioner accused the minister of giving a teaching post to his daughter even when she scored lesser marks than the petitioner.
Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay directed that the minister to appear before the CBI authorities by Tuesday evening for interrogation over the allegations.
Petitioner’s lawyer Firdous Shamim claimed that the candidate had secured 77 marks in the recruitment examination, while the minister’s daughter got only 61.
Justice Gangopadhyay had on four earlier occasions ordered CBI inquiries in connection with alleged irregularities in appointments of teaching and non-teaching staff in state government and government aided schools and had also directed former education minister Partha Chatterjee, who now holds the Industries and Parliamentary Affairs portfolio, to appear before the agency for questioning.
A division bench had stayed the orders following appeals.
A high court-appointed committee headed by a former judge of the court had on May 13 submitted a report stating that 381 Group C post appointments in state government/aided schools were illegal and recommended criminal proceedings against five persons who are former top officials of state School Service Commission and present president of West Bengal Board of Secondary Education.
