Probing Money-Trail Linking Bengali Film Industry To ‘Cash-For-Jobs’ Scam: Enforcement Directorate Tells Calcutta High Court

The Enforcement Directorate today informed the Calcutta High Court that it has begun probing the alleged links between the Bengali film industry and the teacher and municipal recruitment cash-for-jobs scam allegedly involving various high-ranking state functionaries.DSG Dhiraj Trivedi appearing for the ED submitted that one person from the industry has been linked with a money-trail to proceeds of the scam and that such person had said he would refund back the sum.“Only one person you could get from the film industry? Cannot be that in the entire film industry, only one person is involved. Had that been so, your earlier report speaks of something else,” Justice Amrita Sinha orally remarked on hearing ED's submissions.Trivedi then responded that unlike CBI, they were restricted to looking for money trails linking those who were sent large sums of money with proceeds from the scam, and requested the Court to allow them some time to put more details on record. “Cats are being brought out of the bag,” Trivedi assured the bench.The agency also sought continued protection from cyber complaint lodged against the SIT members in connection with raids conducted at accused AITC leader Abhishek Banerjee's firm.Court directed the State to ensure no coercive steps are taken against the SIT in an attempt to “scuffle the investigation.” It observed:“I wish your officers acted with such promptitude in each and every general diary that is lodged in the State. Why is it that only is this matter your officers are so very hyperactive? Is there any reason? Let a balance be maintained, your officers should not take any steps pursuant to the cyber complaint because the ED has maintained that they will not use the files [retrieved from Banerjee's firm's offices].”The development ensued after Court's previous direction to the central agencies to submit investigation progress reports and to probe into the alleged links of the Bengali film-industry with the scam.Case: Soumen Nandy v. The State of West Bengal & Ors. and connected applicationsCase No: WPA 9979 of 2022

Probing Money-Trail Linking Bengali Film Industry To ‘Cash-For-Jobs’ Scam: Enforcement Directorate Tells Calcutta High Court

Srinjoy Das

Tags