Expressing anguish over the slow pace of investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the multi-crore teacher recruitment scam in West Bengal, Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay of the Calcutta High Court on Thursday sought the details of the assets of all the members of the special investigation team (SIT) of the agency probing the scam.
Justice Gangopadhyay even said that at times he feels that he himself will have to handle the investigation and send a report to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on this count.
“The CBI seems to be bogus. It seems that I will have to personally handle the investigation and send a report to the Prime Minister. Does the investigation process needs to be handed over to British intelligence agency MI5,” Justice Gangopadhyay asked, as he sought the property details of the members of the CBI SIT.
Justice Gangopadhyay also asked the CBI to complete the interrogation of Trinamool Congress legislator and former President of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education (WBBPE), Manik Bhattacharya, and submit a report to his court by February 10.
On Thursday, former Secretary of WBBPE, Ratna Bhattacharya, informed the court that swindling and manipulation of answer sheets was done in the “confidential section” of the board, where only Bhattacharya and the optical mark recognition (OMR) sheet producing company’s former chairman, late Gautam Mukhopadhyay, had access to.
She also said that the said OMR producing entity was appointed in 2012.
Thereafter, Justice Gangopadhhay directed the CBI to find out the real story of such a “sweet relationship” between Bhattacharya and the management of the OMR producing entity.
On Wednesday, the CBI had faced the wrath of Justice Gangopadhyay for not having the details of the foreign travels of Bhattacharya, especially his tours to London. The CBI counsel had informed the court that the central agency has traced two passports of Bhattacharya, who is currently under judicial custody for his alleged involvement in the scam.
