Arpita Mukherjee, a close associate of Bengal's education minister, Partha Chatterjee, has been granted bail by the court in connection with the teacher recruitment scam. Actress and close friend of Partha Chatterjee, Arpita Mukherjee, filed a bail application in the ED's special court, seeking bail under any circumstances.
The central investigation agency Enforcement Directorate opposed her bail plea during the court hearing. The ED's counsel argued that granting her bail could impede ongoing investigations.
Arpita Mukherjee's advocate, Niladri Bhattacharya, claimed in court that "The provision of BNS Section 479 enacted by the Supreme Court has been applied in favor of female under-trial prisoners. Furthermore, there is no prospect of a swift trial. Under these circumstances, she has already served a third of her designated sentence, so she should be released from jail under any conditions imposed by the court."
Breaking News:
During a court hearing, Partha Chatterjee and Arpita Mukherjee made an unexpected appearance, prompting a stern warning from the judge.
Granted Bail on ₹5 Lakh Surety
After hearing both sides, the court on Monday granted Arpita bail on a personal bond of ₹5 lakh. According to the conditions set by the court, Mukherjee will not be allowed to leave the jurisdiction of Kolkata police. The court also ordered Arpita to surrender her passport and instructed her to appear before the investigative agency. The court stipulated that she must not meet any witnesses or tamper with evidence.
Arpita Mukherjee had already been out on parole, as her mother passed away last week. The court granted her parole on humanitarian grounds following her mother's demise. With this grant of bail, she will no longer need to return to jail. Her advocate, Niladri Bhattacharya, stated, "Paperwork and formalities are underway at this moment. We will present a copy of the court order before the jail administration tomorrow to execute it."
Big Seizure:
ED seizes assets worth ₹48.22 crore belonging to Partha Chatterjee and Arpita Mukherjee.
₹50 Crore Cash Recovered from Flat
In 2022, during a raid in the teacher recruitment scam case, the ED, while probing the corruption case, recovered approximately ₹50 crore in cash and jewels worth crores from their two flats. During interrogation, Arpita Mukherjee failed to provide satisfactory explanations about the source of the cash and jewels to the ED. Following this massive recovery, the ED arrested Arpita Mukherjee from her apartment in South Kolkata. Since her arrest, Arpita Mukherjee has been residing in the Alipore Women’s Correctional Home in Kolkata.
