Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi: The Supreme Court today raised concerns over the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) low conviction rate in money laundering cases while hearing the bail plea of former West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee. The court questioned how long the senior politician could be kept in jail without a conviction.
Partha Chatterjee, once a close aide of Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee and the state’s Education Minister, has been in custody since July 2022. He faces allegations of involvement in the teacher recruitment scam and money laundering. Chatterjee was arrested following the recovery of large sums of cash from his aide Arpita Mukherjee’s residence.
Trial Delays and Arguments on Bail
Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing Chatterjee, pointed out that the trial is yet to begin despite his client being in jail for 2.5 years. He highlighted that the case involves 183 witnesses and four supplementary prosecution complaints. “He is 73 years old, and the punishment in this case is a maximum of seven years,” Mr. Rohatgi said, adding that Arpita Mukherjee, from whose premises the cash was recovered, has already been granted bail.
Countering the plea, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju termed the case “serious,” involving widespread corruption and mismanagement in job recruitment. He alleged that the recovered cash belonged to Chatterjee and argued against bail, citing the potential retraction of witness statements.
Court’s Observations
The bench, comprising Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan, acknowledged the severity of the allegations but expressed concern about prolonged detention without a trial. The court remarked, “If in the ultimate analysis, he is not convicted, what will happen to the years lost?”
It further questioned the ED’s track record: “What is your conviction rate? It is very, very poor… We would have understood if it was 60 to 70 percent.”
Contention Over Corruption and Justice
Mr. Raju defended the ED, asserting that the evidence against Chatterjee is strong and that he is likely to be convicted. He emphasized that corruption cases like these require stringent measures. “This is not just any case; this is neck-deep corruption,” he said.
Mr. Rohatgi countered by blaming trial delays on the government, reiterating the Supreme Court’s recent efforts to ensure fair bail practices.
The court noted the complexity of corruption cases involving political figures but stressed the importance of balancing justice with the rights of the accused.
The hearing was adjourned to Monday for further arguments.
