Teachers’ scam: Manik Bhattacharya challenges Calcutta HC order on property confiscation

Kolkata: Trinamool Congress legislator and the West Bengal Board of Primary Education (WBBPE)’s former President Manik Bhattacharya on Wednesday challenged the order of Calcutta High Court’s single-judge bench directing Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to confiscate his property.

Bhattacharya, his wife Satarupa Bhattacharya and son Saouvik Bhattacharya are in judicial custody now because of their alleged involvement in the multi-crore teachers’ recruitment scam in West Bengal.

On February 27, a single-judge bench of Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay directed the CBI to confiscate all of Bhattacharya’s properties taking a strong note of his missing the deadline tp paying a penalty of Rs 7,00,000 in two cases related to the teachers’ recruitment scam. Justice Gangopadhyay observed that despite missing the deadline for payment of the penalty, neither had Bhattacharya taken any initiative to pay it or inform the court about his inability on this count. Thereafter, he directed the CBI to confiscate all his properties.

On Wednesday, Bhattacharya’s counsel approached a division bench of Justice Subrata Talukdar and Justice Supratim Bhattacharya challenging the order of the single-judge bench on this count. The matter will come up from hearing this week only.