Sujit Bose moves Calcutta HC for bail in municipal recruitment case, hearing on June 15

Former West Bengal minister and senior Trinamool Congress leader Sujit Bose has moved the Calcutta High Court seeking bail following his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the municipal recruitment corruption case. His bail application has been filed before the bench of Justice Joy Sengupta, which is scheduled to hear the matter on June 15. Bose is currently in judicial custody in the case.

In his bail petition, Bose has alleged that his arrest was driven by political vendetta. The ED arrested him during its investigation into alleged irregularities in municipal recruitment, a case in which several individuals have come under the scrutiny of central investigative agencies. The former minister has remained under investigation since his name surfaced in connection with the alleged recruitment scam.

Earlier, Bose had approached the Calcutta High Court seeking the quashing of the FIR registered by the ED and requested an urgent hearing. The court declined to grant expedited consideration of the petition. During the proceedings, Justice Krishna Rao observed that there was no urgency in the matter and indicated that legal remedies, including a bail application, were available through the normal judicial process.

During previous hearings, Deputy Solicitor General Dhiraj Trivedi, appearing for the ED, referred to the case of South Dum Dum Municipality Vice-Chairman Nitai Dutta, who had been summoned multiple times in connection with the investigation. According to the agency, Dutta informed investigators that he was undergoing treatment in Hyderabad and would appear later, but had not yet complied with the summons. The ED argued that an influential individual may be assisting him in avoiding questioning and contended that Bose's influence could affect the ongoing investigation if he is granted relief.