On Friday, May 20, the Calcutta High Court disallowed West Bengal’s Education Minister Paresh Adhikari’s daughter Ankita Adhikari from entering the school premises where she worked as a teacher and also asked her to refund the salary for the tenure she has already served. The Court was hearing a case related to the SSC scam being investigated by the CBI.
SSC scam | Calcutta HC orders West Bengal minister Paresh Adhikari’s daughter Ankita Adhikari not to be allowed to enter the school premises where she worked as a teacher till further orders. Court says she has to refund her salary for the tenure she has already served
— ANI (@ANI) May 20, 2022
This decision came a day after the CBI registered an FIR against Minister Adhikari and his daughter for skipping the CBI summons deadline that was set by the Calcutta High Court. He was summoned for illegally recruiting teachers in government-aided schools and also for allotting a job to his daughter despite her absence from the merit list.
The agency had also quizzed senior TMC leader and Industry Minister Partha Chatterjee as the alleged recruitment scam had taken place when he was the education minister. Adhikari however, who is the minister of state for education was grilled on May 19.
Meanwhile, the BJP leaders protested on the streets against the Mamata Banerjee-led government over the issue of the SSC scam and demanded the resignation of both Paresh Adhikari and Partha Chatterjee.
Kolkata | BJP workers protest against Mamata Banerjee government over the issue of the alleged SSC scam pic.twitter.com/fER4CVYXKn
— ANI (@ANI) May 20, 2022
What is the SSC scam?
The CBI has been investigating several cases where teaching and non-teaching staff in the state of West Bengal were allegedly appointed illegally in schools following recommendations by the West Bengal Central School Service Commission (SSC).
The West Bengal Teacher’s recruitment scam, more commonly referred to as the SSC scam, looks into the recruitment process conducted through the State Level Selection Test (SLT) conducted by SSC from 2014 to 2016. Candidates who appeared for the State Level Selection Test (SLST) exam had alleged that many candidates who secured fewer marks ended up with higher ranks on the merit list. They further stated that the candidates who were not on the merit list were also sent appointment letters.
Also, in the year 2016, multiple allegations of corruption cropped up regarding the recruitment of Group C and Group D employees in secondary and higher secondary schools under the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education. The matter came to light in March this year after irregularities were noticed in the recruitment process of teachers in the state government schools.
Earlier, the single bench had ordered the CBI to interrogate the former chairman of the SSC advisory committee, SP Sinha, and other former members of the panel. The court had asked the CBI to file a report after interrogating the former members. In April, the CBI also registered an FIR against West Bengal Directorate of School Education former deputy director Alok Kumar Sarkar and unidentified officials of the SSC.
According to the FIR, the accused had extended the undue advantage in appointing around 500 undeserving candidates for Group-D staff posts. Reportedly, they had also flouted the departmental rules and used forged documents for the purpose. The FIR was filed by the central agency’s anti-corruption bureau under Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), and 471 (using forged documents or electronic records as genuine) of the Indian Penal Code.
On April 8, the accused were questioned by the CBI and a detailed report was submitted before the Court. The Court further asked the then Education Minister Partha Chatterjee to appear before the CBI. The CBI has charged the Minister Paresh Adhikari and his daughter Ankita Adhikari under sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 420 (Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), and Prevention of Corruption Act 7 (Obtaining an undue advantage, to perform or cause the performance of public duty improperly or dishonestly).
