The Supreme Court tagged the bail plea of former West Bengal minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Partha Chatterjee with a pending matter involving a co-accused in the multi-crore West Bengal cash-for-jobs scam, setting July 17, 2025 as the next date of hearing.
Appearing for the petitioner, counsel submitted that the trial was not progressing and argued against the separation of his client’s trial from that of co-accused. “He is bed-ridden and cannot even walk,” the advocate stated, citing Chatterjee’s medical condition.
However, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) SV Raju opposed the bail plea, asserting, “He was a minister… this is a serious case. He is neck deep in corruption. Genuine candidates were denied jobs while only those who paid were recruited.”
The benc of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sanjiv Khanna questioned the delay in listing the matter. “Why is the bail matter posted for July?” Justice Khanna asked. The ASG responded by noting the involvement of multiple co-accused and serious charges including misuse of ministerial power.
Noting that a Special Leave Petition (SLP) filed by a co-accused against the same Calcutta High Court orders (dated November 20 and December 24, 2023) is already scheduled for July 2025, the Supreme Court directed that Chatterjee’s bail plea be tagged and jointly heard on July 17, 2025.
In a key procedural direction, the Bench instructed the Chief Secretary of West Bengal to take a decision on granting sanction for prosecution of the co-accused within two weeks, clarifying that the co-accused and the State were not parties before the Court at this stage, and hence no observations were made on merits.
Amid the hearing, Justice Khanna also raised concern over inconsistent High Court rulings in bail matters: “In bail matters, High Courts are writing lengthy judgments and having divergent views? What is happening, Mr. Raju?”
The Bench further directed the Supreme Court Registry to tag any future SLPs filed against the impugned Calcutta High Court orders with the present matter to avoid multiplicity of proceedings.
This development comes amidst mounting scrutiny on the alleged cash-for-jobs scam in West Bengal, which has entangled several political leaders and bureaucrats.
