Start questioning School Service Commission advisor by midnight today on illegal appointments: Calcutta High Court to CBI

The Calcutta High Court on Thursday directed the regional head of the Central Board of Investigation (CBI) to initiate questioning of Dr. SP Sinha, long-time advisor of the School Service Commission, during the course of the day [Laxmi Tunga v The State of West Bengal]..Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay opined that a thorough probe is required to bust the racket involved in giving illegal appointments, observing that Dr. Sinha appeared to be one of the "kingpins of this corruption".“The CBI is directed to initiate the said interrogation in course of the day - I mean by 12 midnight today,” the order directed..The petition before the High Court gave a list of 98 persons for appointment in Group D posts by the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education.The Board in its affidavit informed the Court that the appointment letters were issued on the basis of recommendations received from the School Service Commission.The Commission, on the other hand, stated that the recommendation letters had not been issued by them..The CBI is directed to initiate the said interrogation in course of the day - I mean by 12 midnight today.Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay .On hearing these submissions, the Court questioned Sinha and one Samarjit Acharya. It then emerged that on the basis of recommendations from outside the Commission, the recommendation letters were printed at the instance of SP Sinha by Acharya, and the signatures of the Commission’s Chairman were mechanically printed.The Court noted that a large number of matters had come before it regarding the illegal appointments. Therefore, a probe by the CBI was directed..The matter was listed again on April 1 for further hearing..Advocates Firdous Samim and Gopa Biswas appeared for the petitioners. The State was represented by Advocates Supriyo Chattopadhyay and Biswarup Biswas.The SSC was represented by Advocates Dr Sutanu Kumar Patra and Supriya Dubey while Advocate Koyeli Bhattacharya appeared for the WBSSE..In a similar plea, Justice Gangopadhyay had sought an affidavit detailing Sinha's assets. However, the judge took strong objection when a Division Bench had allowed Sinha to submit the document in sealed cover.“I do not know what this Court will do with a sealed cover in this proceeding when the hand of this appeal court has been tied by the above observation,” the single-judge had said in the order passed on Wednesday.The judge had termed the order of the Division Bench “a highest degree of double standard”..[Read Order]