Trinamool MLA sent to six-day ED remand, arrested due to non-cooperation in probe (Ld)

Kolkata, Aug 25 (IANS) Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Jiban Krishna Saha was sent to six-day Enforcement Directorate (ED) remand by the Kolkata's Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court late on Monday, following his arrest in connection with the School Service Commission (SSC) recruitment case.

The ED officers arrested the TMC MLA during raids at his residence in Murshidabad district's Burwan, after he made a failed attempt to flee his house by scaling the boundary wall and at the same time throwing one of his mobile phones in a bush.

The ED officers brought him to Kolkata and took him for a medical check-up at a hospital in Bidhannagar, before producing him at the PMLA court in Bankshall court premises in Kolkata, and sought his remand to investigate him further in the SSC recruitment case.

The MLA was arrested under provisions of the PMLA for alleged non-cooperation.

Appearing on behalf of the ED, advocate Dhiraj Trivedi said, "We pressed for the TMC MLA's six-day remand. It has been granted by the court. We told the court that the MLA was not cooperating with us, hence we had to arrest him. The advocate for the TMC MLA did not file his bail plea. Rather he sought the MLA's release which is absurd. As there was no bail plea, there was no question of him getting released."

Advocate Jakir Hossain, who appeared for the TMC MLA, said, "We co-operated with the investigating agency so many times. On a number of occasions, they had recorded his statement. He answered their every query several times in writing. The ED could have summoned him and asked him questions. He would have obliged. But they (ED) conducted raids and arrested him."

MLA Saha will be produced again in the court on August 30, when his six-day remand ends.

The ED remand comes as part of its ongoing investigation into alleged irregularities in the recruitment of teachers and staff in schools across West Bengal and finding the money trail.

Sources said that Rs 46 lakh were found in the bank accounts of Saha's family.

"While Rs 20 lakh was found in his father's bank account, Rs 26 lakh was found in his wife's bank account. When asked to give explanation on this huge amount of money in their bank accounts, the TMC MLA had no answer. He could not give satisfactory answer to the ED officers. Hence, the arrest was made," said an ED source.

In April 2023, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had arrested the MLA in the same case.

After 13 months, the Trinamool Congress legislator was granted bail by the Supreme Court.

The ED's case stems from an FIR the CBI registered on the orders of the Calcutta High Court into the alleged irregularities in the recruitment of Group C and D staff, assistant teachers of classes 9 to 12 and primary teachers.

The central agency has so far filed four charge sheets and arrested several key political leaders in the state, including former State Education Minister Partha Chatterjee, his alleged aide Arpita Mukherjee and former TMC MLA Manik Bhattacharya.

On Monday morning, the ED conducted a raid at TMC MLA Saha's house in Burwan of Murshidabad district.

Initially, the TMC MLA tried to flee his house by scaling the boundary wall and threw his mobile phone in a bush to destroy evidence.

However, he was caught by central force personnel, who were guarding his house.

The ED officials also recovered the mobile phone and started questioning him at his house.

The ED has also raided his in-laws' house in Raghunathganj in the same district.

Meanwhile, search operation was also held at MLA Saha's wife Togor Saha's house in Raghunathganj.

Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress hit out at the BJP-led Central government over the arrest and called it a result of its vendetta politics.

"@BJP4India runs on an E² policy! The first 'E', the @ECISVEEP is used as a weapon to strip citizens of their voting rights. If that fails, the second 'E', the @dir_ed, is unleashed as a political weapon," the TMC alleged on its official X account.

The TMC also claimed, "As exposed by our Parliamentary Party Leader Abhishek Banerjee, the 130th Constitutional Amendment Bill is not aimed at fighting corruption. Its sole purpose is to crush the Opposition. This is dictatorship in disguise."

The BJP, however, denied the allegation and said those who indulged in corruption are facing consequences of their actions.

"Not just Jiban Krishna Saha, earlier Education Minister Partha Chatterjee, MLA Manik Bhattacharya and others were arrested. The SSC aspirants, who lost their jobs, keep asking why they are being punished for the corruption of TMC leaders. Why should those who looted the future of students not be arrested? They are facing the consequences of their misdeeds," said senior BJP leader Jagannath Chattopadhyay.

--IANS

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