A single-judge bench of the Calcutta High Court has granted conditional bail to former West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) advisor Santi Prasad Sinha. Sinha, involved in a multi-crore cash-for-school jobs case in the state, was given bail in a case filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). He had previously obtained bail in a similar case by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
With the High Court’s decision on Friday, Sinha is now cleared for release as all legal obstacles have been removed. He had been in custody for nearly four years following his arrest by the CBI in August 2022, which coincided with the arrest of former West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee by the ED in connection with the same case.
Conditions for Sinha’s bail include restrictions such as not leaving the jurisdiction of his local police station without prior approval, surrendering his passport to the investigating agency, and providing two reachable contact numbers to the court and investigators. He is also prohibited from contacting witnesses or attempting to influence them, with the risk of immediate bail cancellation if evidence tampering is suspected.
The High Court also instructed the trial court to expedite the trial proceedings in this matter.
