WB teachers' scam: ED summons TMC's Abhishek Banerjee on June 15

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee to appear on June 15 in connection with the multi-crore Primary Teachers Recruitment scam in West Bengal as part of its ongoing investigation.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday issued summons to Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee in connection with the multi-crore Primary Teachers Recruitment scam in West Bengal, officials said.

Banerjee has been asked to appear before the central agency on June 15 to join the ongoing investigation.

Wider Probe and Previous Actions

The summons is part of the ED's probe into alleged irregularities in the recruitment process of primary teachers, which has been under scrutiny for suspected financial misconduct and procedural violations.

The move comes five months after ED's Kolkata zonal office in January this year attached immovable properties having a total value of approximately Rs 57.78 crore under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, in connection with the West Bengal Central School Service Commission (SSC) Assistant Teacher Recruitment Scam (Classes IX to XII).

On July 23, 2022, the ED had arrested former West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee after cash worth over Rs 50 crore and gold iewellery worth Rs 4.5 crore was recovered from the residence of his close aide Arpita Mukherjee during raids linked to the cash-for-jobs scam, in which thousands of unqualified candidates were "illegally appointed to teaching and non-teaching positions across State-run and State- aided schools in West Bengal" in lieu of extraneous consideration."

Supreme Court Intervention and Legal Steps

In the Primary Teachers Recruitment Scam in West Bengal, ED has already attached and seized properties worth Rs 154 crore.

The Supreme Court, in its judgment dated April 3, 2025, had quashed the appointments of more than 25,000 teachers and non-teaching staff, holding the entire recruitment process to be vitiated and tainted.

The ED had filed an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) for offences registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. Meanwhile, the CBI had registered a case under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, including the Prevention of Corruption Act. (ANI)

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