Bengal school recruitment case: important file missing from commission’s office

Kolkata (IANS). An important file sought by the CBI in the multi-crore school recruitment case has gone missing from the office of the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC).

Sources said the CBI had recently sent a communique seeking a special file from the WBSSC office. However, in its reply, the WBSSC office informed the CBI that the file was missing since last year.

The commission further stated that it has also made a general diary entry in the local police station. However, the WBSSC has not informed the CBI whether the local police have launched an investigation into the missing file.

The CBI recently questioned state education secretary Manish Jain twice in the recruitment case. Jain was asked whether any influential person used to influence the recruitment process of teaching and non-teaching staff in West Bengal.

Sources said that special questions were also asked on the role of former state education minister Partha Chatterjee in this matter. Jain is also likely to be questioned on the role of Chatterjee’s executive assistant Sukanta Acharya in the matter. Chatterjee has been in judicial custody since July last year for his alleged involvement in the case.

Earlier, when he was questioned by CBI officials, Jain had told that his job was only to sign the files that Chatterjee sent to him for his approval.

It was because of Jain’s confession in court that the state education department faced the ire of the Calcutta High Court for its decision to create super-numeric teaching posts in government schools. After this, Jain confessed in the court that the decision on super-numeric posts was taken by the state government.