A different Calcutta HC Judge but orders relating to West Bengal job scam remain the same

Justice Sinha was hearing the matter titled State of West Bengal vs Soumen Nandy.

Nearly two weeks after the Supreme Court asked the Calcutta High Court to assign a different judge to hear certain cases relating to West Bengal school job scam, a new Bench gave the same directions after hearing the matter. Justice Amrita Sinha on Friday dismissed the review application filed by the West Bengal government against the order passed by Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay transferring the investigation into the irregularities in recruitment by municipalities to Central investigation agencies.

Justice Sinha was hearing the matter titled State of West Bengal vs Soumen Nandy. Justice Gangopadhyay had on April 21 asked Central investigation agencies to conduct an inquiry into irregularities in municipal recruitments. The Central agencies looking into the school recruitment scam in West Bengal — while conducting searches at the premises of the accused — had stumbled upon evidence of irregularities in recruitment across various municipalities. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on April 25 registered a separate FIR based on the High Court’s order.

The Supreme Court had stayed the matter and asked Calcutta High Court to assign the matter to a different Bench after lawyers representing Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee brought to the notice of the Supreme Court that Justice Gangopadhyay had given an interview to a television news channel relating to the case.

Justice Sinha has also refused to grant any relief to Trinamool leader Abhishek Banerjee; Justice Gangopadhyay had said Mr. Banerjee may be questioned by the investigation agencies.

Mr. Banerjee’s name had cropped up in a complaint filed by arrested accused Kuntal Ghosh. Earlier this week, Justice Sinha had directed that Mr. Banerjee be added as a party in the case. When lawyers representing Mr. Banerjee on Friday expressed apprehension about any possible action by the Central agencies, the Judge said the doors of the courts were always open. The matter relating to Mr. Banerjee will be heard again on Monday (May 15).

Lawyers representing Mr. Banerjee, while arguing before Justice Sinha, claimed that Justice Gangopadhyay had been biased in the case. Referring to the Supreme Court transferring the case to a different Bench, they said that transfers were done in rare cases and do not add to the “glory of our traditions”.