Kolkata, 17 February (H.S.): The process of framing charges against West Bengal Minister Chandranath Sinha in the high-profile school recruitment scam has been deferred after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) failed to provide certain documents sought by the defence.

The charge-framing proceedings were scheduled to begin on Tuesday at a special court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in Kolkata. However, during the hearing, the minister’s counsel informed the court that the ED had not yet furnished relevant documents requested by the defence for preparation of arguments.

On this ground, the defence sought postponement of the proceedings. Accepting the submission, the court directed the Enforcement Directorate to submit the required documents by March 13. The framing of charges will commence thereafter.

Sinha, who holds the portfolios of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Textiles, came under the scanner in connection with alleged irregularities in the primary teacher recruitment process.

In March 2024, the ED conducted searches at his Bolpur residence, recovering Rs 41 lakh in cash. The agency subsequently filed a chargesheet against him in the case. On September 6 last year, Sinha surrendered before the special ED court and was granted bail.

In January this year, the ED announced the attachment of properties worth Rs 3.60 crore linked to the minister. A total of 10 properties owned by Sinha, his wife, and his son were provisionally attached, with the combined market value estimated at around Rs 3.60 crore.

According to the ED’s chargesheet, Sinha allegedly recommended 159 ineligible candidates for primary teacher posts and collected an average of Rs 8 lakh from each candidate.

In August last year, West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose granted sanction to prosecute the minister based on the ED’s chargesheet. The agency reportedly traced Sinha’s name to entries in the diary of middleman and suspended Trinamool Congress leader Kuntal Ghosh, who was later arrested.

The matter remains under judicial consideration, with further proceedings expected after submission of the pending documents.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh