The Enforcement Directorate (ED) disclosed that its Kolkata Zonal Office lodged the second supplementary charge sheet concerning the cash-for-school job scam involving former West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee and others. This action was taken before a special court of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in Kolkata on June 25. The charge sheet was filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, following previous filings in April 2024 and October 2025.
The ED’s investigation, initiated based on FIRs by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), focuses on offenses like criminal conspiracy, cheating, and corruption under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), 1860, and Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. It revealed a significant recruitment scam involving manipulation of OMR scores, tampering of test marks, and illegal appointments. The probe found that many candidates were appointed unlawfully, bypassing regulations and denying deserving candidates their rightful positions.
Partha Chatterjee was identified by the ED as a key figure in influencing the illicit recruitment process by abusing his official position in collaboration with various educational boards and middlemen. The investigation exposed the collection of illegal gratifications from unqualified candidates in exchange for job recommendations. The ED stated that the proceeds from these illicit activities were laundered through multiple channels to appear as legitimate assets.
The investigation further uncovered that the illicit gains from the illegal recruitment of teaching candidates were concealed, possessed, and projected as clean assets through various means. To date, provisional attachment orders totaling Rs 301.58 crore have been issued in the case.
