Bengal school job case: HC grants conditional bail to suspended TMC leader Kuntal Ghosh

A single judge bench of the Calcutta High Court, on Wednesday, granted conditional bail to the suspended youth Trinamool Congress leader Kuntal Ghosh who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in January 2023 in connection with the cash-for-school job case.

The bail was granted by the single judge bench of the Calcutta High Court of Justice Suvra Ghosh in the case registered against him by ED in the school job case. However, despite being given bail, there is no chance for Kuntal to be freed from behind bars since his other bail plea in the case registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the same matter is yet to be granted.

While granting the bail in the case registered by ED in the morning, Justice Ghosh ordered Kuntal to submit his passport and mobile number to the court. Justice Ghosh also directed that the mobile number that will be submitted to the court cannot be altered.

At the same time, Justice Ghosh also directed Kuntal to be present in the regular hearing in the matter at a lower court. She also observed that Kuntal should not make any attempt to influence the witnesses in the case.

Kuntal had initially approached the Supreme Court with his bail petition. However, the apex court referred the matter back to the Calcutta High Court.

Last week, the counsel of ED claimed at the Calcutta High Court that hefty amounts got credited to the accounts of Kuntal Ghosh even on dates after his arrest by the central agency officials.

The ED counsel informed the court that hefty amounts totalling over Rs 1.5 crore had been credited to the bank account of Kuntal Ghosh just a few days after his arrest on January 11, 2023.

Last week Justice Ghosh kept the judgement on reserve and finally on Wednesday granted conditional bail to Kuntal.

Kuntal, the former youth leader of Trinamool Congress, has serious charges against him, which include collecting hefty amounts to the tune of Rs 19 crore from various ineligible candidates for illegal selection for teaching and non-teaching jobs in different state-run schools in West Bengal. Days after his arrest Trinamool Congress suspended him from the party.