Kolkata: A special prevention of the Money Laundering Act court in Kolkata on Wednesday dismissed the Enforcement Directorate’s petition in the custody of West Bengal Minister Chandranath Sinha regarding the multi-million Cash-Skool-Jobs scam case in the state.
The hearing in the case was concluded on 20 September. However, on that day, the Special PMLA court judge reserved the order and pronounced it on Wednesday.
The ED has demanded a seven -day custody for Sinha, Minister of West Bengal reform services, micro, small and medium enterprises and textile departments.
On Wednesday, the Special Court judge granted Sinha interim bail until further court orders.
However, the Special Court judge directed Sinha to cooperate with the Central Investigation Agency for two more days at the ED office in Kolkata and with the Central Investigation Agency.
According to the court directive, Sinha will have to appear in Ed’s office on Thursday and Friday this week for questioning.
Sinha told the media persons after getting relief from the special PMLA court on Wednesday afternoon, “I have full faith in the country’s judicial system. I have done nothing wrong.”
On 6 September, Sinha surrendered before the same PMLA court regarding the investigation of the ED in the alleged recruitment scam. The court later granted him interim bail on a personal bond of Rs 10,000, with some conditions.
Earlier this month, ED presented its sixth supplementary charge sheet in the special court, giving details of financial irregularities in the accounts of Sinha and his family members.
The document highlighted a range of large, phased cash deposits in a joint account organized by a minister and his wife, Kuntala Sinha in a public sector branch in Kolkata.
According to the sixth supplement charge sheet, a total of Rs 1.18 crore cash was deposited between January 2016 and November 2019 – the alleged school recruitment scam was recognized as the extreme period of the scam.
,