SSC: CBI refers to ‘Abhishek Banerjee’ in charge sheet, TMC neta’s lawyer hits back
Times of India | 27 February 2025
Kolkata: After CBI referred to one Abhishek Banerjee in its 16-page Feb 24 charge sheet in the recruitment scam case, the Trinamool national general secretary's legal team attacked the agency on Wednesday, calling the reference a "politically motivated narrative" and a "blatant attempt to tarnish Banerjee's reputation".
In its third supplementary charge sheet, CBI, citing a recorded conversation, alleged that accused Sujay Krishna Bhadra had been asked by "Abhishek Banerjee" to pay him Rs 15 crore in lieu of "illegal appointment" of teachers. CBI said that it had come across a recording of a conversation between Bhadra, Kuntal Ghosh, Santanu Roy Banerjee and Aurobindo Roy Burman in 2017 at Bhadra's Behala residence. The recording referred to how "illegal appointments" had been secured. The conversation also said that there was a "rift between Partha Chatterjee (former education minister) and ‘Abhishek Banerjee' over illegal appointments."
In a statement, Banerjee's lawyer Sanjay Basu said: "Despite my client's full cooperation... CBI has resorted to baseless allegations. ED, responsible for investigating alleged proceeds of crime, has not filed any charge sheet against my client. It underscores the absence of incriminating material against him." Basu alleged that the charge sheet was a "fishing expedition" aimed at "harassing his client". "CBI has failed to provide a shred of corroborative evidence, with no supportive document appended to its claims. This is yet another instance of my client being unjustly targeted," the statement said.
Basu said, "Previously, the ED attempted to implicate Abhishek Banerjee, but the Calcutta High Court ruled against it, finding no material evidence. After failing through the ED, political forces have turned to CBI, misusing central agencies to push their agenda. This latest charge sheet is a desperate bid to create suspicion despite the glaring lack of evidence."
"Banerjee remains resolute in his pursuit of truth and justice. He will not be intimidated by these baseless allegations and will fight relentlessly to expose this conspiracy, safeguard his integrity, and ensure justice prevails," Basu added.
CBI had mentioned it its charge sheet that in the purported recording, Bhadra was heard saying Banerjee had demanded Rs 15 crore for the illegal appointments already done. When Bhadra expressed his inability to pay more money since candidates had already paid Rs 6.5 lakh each, Banerjee allegedly asked him to stop appointments. Banerjee allegedly said he would get the candidates arrested or posted at distant locations. The conversation also allegedly pointed to the fact that Bhadra, Ghosh and Santanu Roy Banerjee had planned to collect a "bribe amount from 2,000 additional candidates" and mop up Rs 100 crore. Chatterjee, Banerjee and Manik Bhattacharya were to be paid Rs 20 crore each from that amount, CBI claimed.
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