Kuntal Ghosh, a leader of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) youth unit, has faced a setback as the Supreme Court denied his bail request in connection with the West Bengal cash-for-job scandal. The court has directed Ghosh to seek bail from the Calcutta High Court, which is expected to make a decision within four weeks.
Justice Suryakant and Justice Ujjwal Bhuiyan issued the ruling. In a previous hearing, the Supreme Court instructed Ghosh to approach a lower court, which had to rule on his bail plea within ten days.
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Currently, Ghosh remains in the custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) as part of an investigation into alleged irregularities in recruitment for government-run and aided schools in West Bengal. He faces accusations of extorting Rs 19.5 crore from job seekers between 2014 and 2021.
Investigations have revealed that TMC leaders allegedly collected over Rs 100 crore for appointing teachers and staff in government schools.
During the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry, another accused, Tapan Mandal, implicated Ghosh in the scam, further complicating his legal situation. Ghosh maintains close ties with TMC youth leader Santanu Banerjee, and they both belong to the TMC youth wing in Hooghly.
The ongoing legal battles surrounding Ghosh highlight the broader issues of corruption and alleged misconduct in recruitment processes within the state’s educational institutions.
