After SC relief, TMC's Abhishek Banerjee gets CBI summon

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has issued a summons to Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Abhishek Banerjee in the SSC Teacher’s Recruitment scam case, asking him to appear at Nizam Palace in Kolkata tomorrow.

However, the summons comes hours after the Supreme Court stayed a Calcutta High Court order that called for a probe by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against Banerjee in relation to the school-for-jobs case.

On April 13, the Calcutta High Court had ordered a probe by the central agencies into Banerjee’s alleged role in irregularities in the recruitment of teaching and non-teaching staff at government schools. However, during a public meeting on March 29, Banerjee had alleged that persons in custody were being pressured into naming him as part of the case. Another accused in the case, Kuntal Ghosh, had also alleged that investigators were pressuring him to take Banerjee's name.

The recent summons by the CBI has raised questions about the timing of the investigation, given the Supreme Court's stay order. Banerjee had been represented by Senior Advocate Dr Abhishek Manu Singhvi in the case. The Supreme Court bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and PS Narasimha has ordered the case to be listed on April 24, 2023, with a stay on all action against Banerjee until the next date of listing in relation to the directions passed in the impugned order.