ED Chargesheets Partha Chatterjee in Bengal School Recruitment Case

The Enforcement Directorate has filed a supplementary chargesheet against former West Bengal education minister Partha Chatterjee and several others in a money-laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the recruitment of Group-C and Group-D staff through the West Bengal Central School Service Commission.

The prosecution complaint was filed August 20 before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act court in Kolkata. The ED named Chatterjee, his alleged associate Arpita Mukherjee, expelled Trinamool Congress leader Kuntal Ghosh and several others. The filing follows the agency's original chargesheet in the case in January 2025.

According to the ED, its investigation found an alleged system in which money was demanded from candidates in exchange for appointments. The agency said the amounts varied by post, with candidates allegedly paying between ₹10 lakh and ₹20 lakh.

For Group-C positions, the ED said the alleged rates ranged from ₹15 lakh to ₹16 lakh, while Group-D appointments were allegedly arranged for ₹10 lakh to ₹12 lakh. These figures are allegations made by the investigating agency and have not been established by a court.

What the ED alleges

The latest chargesheet concerns recruitment to Group-C and Group-D posts through the West Bengal Central School Service Commission. The money-laundering investigation originates from FIRs registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation's Anti-Corruption Branch in Kolkata over alleged large-scale recruitment irregularities.

The ED alleges that the recruitment process was manipulated at several stages. According to the agency, OMR answer sheets were altered, some candidates were moved up the merit list, recommendation letters were issued after panels had expired and recruitment procedures were bypassed to facilitate appointments.

The agency also alleges that money collected through the recruitment process was subsequently concealed and moved through intermediaries, associates and entities in an attempt to make the proceeds appear legitimate.

The ED has estimated the proceeds of crime from the Group-C and Group-D recruitment case at at least ₹630.40 crore. The agency said that figure could increase as investigators quantify other alleged methods of recruitment manipulation, including out-of-panel appointments, rank jumping and manipulation through re-evaluation.

What does the ₹630.40 crore figure mean?

The ₹630.40 crore amount is an ED estimate, based on the number of appointments the agency has identified as illegal and the money it says was collected through them.

It is therefore not the same as saying a court has established that ₹630.40 crore was stolen or laundered. The chargesheet contains the investigating agency's allegations and evidence gathered during its probe; the accused will have the opportunity to contest those allegations during the judicial proceedings.

The ED said it has so far attached properties worth about ₹247.35 crore specifically in connection with the Group-C and Group-D case. Across its broader investigations into alleged recruitment irregularities in West Bengal, including the SSC and primary-teacher cases, the agency said property attachments linked to proceeds of crime exceed ₹702 crore.

What is Partha Chatterjee accused of?

The ED has alleged that Chatterjee, who was education minister when the recruitment process was conducted, exercised broad control over the West Bengal Central School Service Commission and related institutions.

The agency alleges that lists of candidates who were not entitled to appointment were prepared under his instructions and passed through intermediaries, including businessman and alleged middleman Prasanna Kumar Roy and his associates.

According to the ED, these intermediaries helped facilitate the issuance of appointment letters to candidates who allegedly did not qualify through the normal recruitment process.

These are allegations contained in the ED's prosecution complaint. Chatterjee has denied wrongdoing in the wider recruitment cases, and the allegations remain to be adjudicated.

How the case began

The wider West Bengal school recruitment controversy concerns alleged irregularities in several recruitment processes conducted through the state school education system.

The CBI began investigating alleged irregularities after court proceedings relating to recruitment to teaching and non-teaching positions in state-run and state-aided schools. The ED subsequently opened money-laundering investigations based on the CBI cases.

The Group-C and Group-D investigation is separate from, but connected to, the broader allegations concerning the recruitment of assistant teachers and primary-school teachers.

The ED filed its first chargesheet in the Group-C and Group-D case in January 2025. The latest filing adds further allegations and evidence gathered during the continuing investigation.

Chatterjee's arrest and bail

Chatterjee was arrested by the ED in July 2022 in connection with the wider West Bengal recruitment investigations. His arrest followed the seizure of large amounts of cash from properties associated with Arpita Mukherjee, whom investigators have described as his close associate.

He spent more than three years in custody before securing bail in the money-laundering case in November 2025, according to reports. The Supreme Court had also granted him relief in the related CBI proceedings, subject to conditions concerning the progress of the trial.

The bail orders do not amount to an acquittal. The criminal proceedings and the allegations against Chatterjee and other accused continue.

A wider recruitment controversy

The latest chargesheet comes amid continuing legal and administrative fallout from West Bengal's school recruitment controversy.

In April 2025, the Supreme Court upheld the cancellation of more than 25,000 appointments made through the 2016 recruitment process after finding the selection process tainted by irregularities. The ruling affected teaching and non-teaching appointments and triggered a major dispute over the future of those who lost their jobs.

The ED's current Group-C and Group-D case concerns alleged financial transactions and money laundering connected to recruitment, while the Supreme Court's decision dealt with the validity of appointments made through the recruitment process. The two proceedings are related to the broader controversy but address different legal questions.

The ED continues to investigate other alleged recruitment methods and financial transactions. The agency has indicated that additional findings could lead to further filings as the investigation progresses.

What happens next

The supplementary chargesheet will now be considered by the special PMLA court in Kolkata. The court will determine the next procedural steps in the case, while the accused will have the opportunity to challenge the allegations and evidence presented by the ED.

The investigation remains ongoing, and the agency's estimate of ₹630.40 crore could change if investigators identify and quantify additional alleged irregularities.

For now, the latest filing adds another layer to one of West Bengal's largest recruitment controversies, with the ED alleging that appointments were manipulated and money was collected from candidates in exchange for government jobs.