Teachers’ recruitment ‘scam’: CBI summons TMC MP

New Delhi: The CBI hand-delivered a summons to TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee for questioning in connection with the teachers’ recruitment scam case on Monday, allegedly over two hours after the Supreme Court stayed a high court order for his interrogation.
Terming the action of the agency “contempt of court”, Banerjee tweeted, “SC stayed the Calcutta HC’s order in the morning that granted permission to the central agencies to summon me. Yet, the ‘SUMMON’ was HAND-DELIVERED today at 1:45 pm. Grave State of affairs!” A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) official said the notice was prepared on Sunday and delivered on Monday. He said the concerned branch was “not aware” of the court order.Earlier on Monday, a bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices P S Narasimha and J B Pardiwala stayed the direction of Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay of the Calcutta High Court that TMC leaders Banerjee and Kuntal Ghosh, an accused in the case, can be questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the CBI, and such “interrogation should be made soon”.
In its April 13 order, the Calcutta High Court’s order had directed the West Bengal Police not to lodge any first information report (FIR) against CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) officers probing the school jobs-for-bribes scam.
The court had asked the central agencies to probe the role of state TMC leaders in the case.