Kolkata, 25 June (H.S.):
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached movable and immovable assets worth ₹27.19 crore as part of its ongoing probe into the West Bengal teacher recruitment scam. The action is linked to alleged irregularities in the appointments made under Group ‘C’ and ‘D’ categories by the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC).
In a statement released late Tuesday, the agency said the attached properties belong to three tea estates — Sansing Organic Tea Pvt Ltd, Yangtong Organic Tea Pvt Ltd, and Bamandanga Tea Estate Pvt Ltd — all owned by Prasanna Kumar Roy. The assets include bungalows, factories, plants, machinery, and vehicles. The ED alleged that the properties were acquired using illicit funds collected from ineligible candidates who were wrongfully appointed to government jobs.
With this latest seizure, the total value of assets attached in connection with the scam now stands at ₹636.88 crore. Previously, the agency had seized ₹219.91 crore worth of assets linked to Group ‘C’ and ‘D’ recruitment.
Prasanna Kumar Roy, who is considered a key middleman in the scam, is currently in judicial custody along with his close associate Chandan Mondal. The ED alleges that Roy collected money and personal data from aspirants in exchange for government jobs.
This enforcement action follows a landmark judgment by the Supreme Court on April 3, 2025, in the case State of West Bengal vs. Baishakhi Bhattacharya (Chatterjee) & Others (SLP Civil 9586/2024). The court had annulled over 25,000 teaching and non-teaching appointments, calling the entire recruitment process “tainted and corrupt.”
The investigation stems from two FIRs registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), 1860, and the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The FIRs allege a criminal conspiracy to bypass official recruitment procedures in favor of unqualified and undeserving candidates.
Earlier, the ED had also attached assets worth ₹238.78 crore in the recruitment scam related to assistant teachers for classes IX to XII, and ₹151 crore in connection with the primary teacher recruitment scam.
Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh
