WBSSC scam: Arpita Mukherjee in DANGER? Test her food and water in jail, says ED lawyer

WBSSC scam: Ex-TMC minister Partha Chatterjee and his close aide Arpita Mukherjee who is involved in the case, have been sent to judicial custody till August 18.

Pic Credit: File Photo

Kolkata: Arpita Mukherjee`s advocate on Friday, while claiming a threat to her life, pleaded before the court to get her Division 1 prisoner category. ED advocate Phiroz Edulzi agreed with the argument of Arpita's lawyer of life threat and further said that she should not be kept with more than four prisoners in general.

Earlier today, former West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee and his close aide Arpita Mukherjee were produced before the City Sessions Court.

"No one has come out and said that he had asked for bribe, neither in the CBI case nor in ED. Can they show any witness that he has asked for a bribe? Partha Chatterjee is not connected with the crime and the allegations levelled by the CBI are not appropriate," argued Partha's lawyer.

"In ED Case on July 22, when his house was raided nothing has been recovered. If you try to ask a man who is not involved in the crime, he will obviously be non-cooperative," he added. Meanwhile, Arpita Mukherjee`s advocate said that there is a threat to her life.

ED lawyer says Arpita Mukherjee's food, water need to be tested

"Her food and water need to be tested first and then should be given," said the ED Lawyer.

While Partha Chatterjee advocate pleaded for bail citing that he will not be harmful. "As he is not a political person now he can leave the MLA post if required," the lawyer said.

Partha Chatterjee, Arpita Mukherjee send to judicial custody till August 18

ED also demanded judicial custody of Arpita. The court sent Arpita and former West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee to judicial custody till August 18 in connection with the School Service Commission (SSC) recruitment scam.

The hearing concluded from both sides including Arpita Mukherjee and Partha Chatterjee.The ED unearthed many disproportionate assets of Partha Chatterjee since his arrest, of which were three flats in West Bengal`s Diamond City.

The ED sleuths have recovered around Rs 50 crore in cash, along with jewellery, from Mukherjee`s two flats in southwest Kolkata and Belghoria.The arrest of Partha Chatterjee followed Rs 21 crore in cash and jewellery worth above Rs 1 crore being recovered from the Kolkata residence of Arpita Mukherjee, a close aide of the former education minister.

The Enforcement Directorate July 23 recovered over Rs 21 crore in cash from the house of an associate of West Bengal Minister Partha Chatterjee. The ED raided Arpita Mukerjee`s house in connection with an alleged teacher recruitment scam. Earlier, Rs 20 crore was recovered from her residence in South Kolkata. ED officials also conducted a raid at the residence of businessman Manoj Jain in Ballygunge. Jain is reportedly an aide of state minister Partha Chatterjee.