Bengal Teacher Recruitment Scam: ED Grills Abhishek Banerjee Over Alleged Financial Links

Trinamool Congress National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Kolkata on Monday for intense questioning regarding the multi-crore primary school recruitment scam in West Bengal.

Banerjee arrived at the agency’s CGO Complex office in Salt Lake around 11 AM following a formal summons. The central agency is conducting an ongoing money laundering investigation into severe irregularities and cash-for-jobs allegations within the state's primary education system. During the session, investigators are expected to confront Banerjee with financial records, digital evidence, and statements gathered from other accused individuals in the case.

Tracking the Money Trail

According to ED officials, the core focus of Monday's interrogation is to trace the complex flow of funds tied to the illegal recruitment process. Investigators are attempting to map out exactly how illicit money moved across various bank accounts and shell entities. They are also analyzing whether transactions were deliberately structured and layered to disguise their corrupt origins.

The central agency is also demanding clear explanations for what it describes as sharp contradictions between Banerjee’s earlier written submissions and fresh material recovered during recent investigative searches. Officials noted that forensic analysis of banking histories and digital communication data has strongly pointed to a wide network of intermediaries and beneficiary entities operating behind the scenes.

 A Scandal That Shook West Bengal’s Classrooms

Monday’s high-profile appearance is the latest chapter in a sweeping scandal that has paralysed West Bengal’s education sector for several years. The scam involves allegations that teaching and non-teaching positions in government-aided schools were systematically sold for bribes, entirely bypassing deserving, qualified candidates who cleared the actual recruitment exams. Multiple top education department bureaucrats have already been jailed in connection with the racket.

Over Rs 154 Crore in Seized Assets

The scale of the corruption first shocked the nation in July 2022 when the ED arrested former West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee. Raids on properties linked to his close associate, Arpita Mukherjee, yielded over Rs 50 crore in hard cash and gold jewelry worth Rs 4.5 crore. Since that breakthrough, the ED has seized and attached properties valued at over Rs 154 crore across its various job scam probes. This includes a January attachment of immovable assets worth roughly Rs 57.8 crore tied directly to the SSC Assistant Teacher Recruitment case.

Landmark Judicial Fallout

The judicial consequences of the scam have been historic. In an unprecedented landmark ruling on April 3, 2025, the Supreme Court terminated the appointments of more than 25,000 teaching and non-teaching staff across the state, declaring the entire state recruitment framework irreparably tainted and fraudulent. While the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) continues to handle the criminal conspiracy and bribery angles, the ED remains strictly focused on untangling the financial money trail.

Multi-Agency Pressure on Banerjee

Banerjee’s session with the ED comes less than 24 hours after he underwent hours of questioning by the West Bengal CID in a completely separate case. That state-level probe involves allegations that the signatures of several Trinamool Congress MLAs were forged on official documents related to appointing the Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly.

The Legal Battle Over Summons Location

The Diamond Harbour MP has routinely contested central agency summons issued from New Delhi. His defense team argues that because the alleged offenses and his primary residence are based in Kolkata, any interrogation must legally take place locally. Banerjee's lawyers have consistently maintained that the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) lacks a distinct, independent procedure for issuing such notices, meaning standard protections under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) should govern the case.

For now, the political and legal spotlight remains fixed on the Salt Lake CGO Complex as investigators try to establish a direct link between top political actors and the massive illegal cash flow that corrupted West Bengal’s school system.

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