A Special CBI court at Alipore on Wednesday granted bail to former state education minister Partha Chatterjee on charges related to the School Service Commission (SSC) recruitment cases. The court released Chatterjee on a personal bond of Rs 7,000 in the matter, marking the first time a lower court has granted him bail in these particular cases. He remains in custody, however, on other cases pending against him.

Chatterjee, who was arrested in connection with a broader recruitment scam in 2022, had earlier secured bail from the Supreme Court in a Group C case filed by the CBI. While he appeared virtually in the Alipore court on Wednesday because his name appears on the charge sheet, the bail in the current SCC-linked matter does not affect his detention in other proceedings.

Trinamool Congress MLA Paresh Adhikari and his daughter Ankita Adhikari also surrendered before the Special CBI court on Wednesday and were granted bail after personally appearing in court.

Ankita’s name had appeared on a list of tainted candidates released by the West Bengal SSC, according to orders of the Supreme Court, the prosecution said. The CBI has filed a chargesheet against both Paresh and Ankita in the Class 11–12 recruitment case.

Several others linked to the investigations also appeared before the court on Wednesday. Sukanta Acharya, who served as an assistant to Partha Chatterjee during his tenure as education minister, surrendered and applied for bail in the Group C corruption case.

SSC officials Samarjit Acharya and Parna Basu, along with a number of agents and sub-agents named in multiple charge sheets, were produced before the court; the CBI had asked a total of 75 people to appear, though many were absent.

The CBI opposed bail applications, arguing that the accused played central roles in the alleged wrongdoing and that the cases had wide social impact. “Their role is important in every case. It has an impact on society at large,” the agency told the court. Despite the CBI’s objections, the Special CBI court granted bail to Partha Chatterjee in the Class 9 and 10 cases and approved bail applications for others appearing before it.