Bengal allows CBI to prosecute officials in corruption cases

The West Bengal government on Wednesday granted the Central Bureau of Investigation the sanction to prosecute state government officials allegedly involved in corruption cases linked to the alleged recruitment scams in schools, municipalities and the cooperative sector, The Telegraph reported.

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari claimed that the previous Trinamool Congress government had “kept this permission on hold to save corrupt bureaucrats and officials”, The Hindu reported.

The CBI requires permission from a state government to prosecute its officials or file chargesheets against them.

Adhikari said that the new Bharatiya Janata Party government was following a “zero tolerance” policy on matters of corruption, The Hindu reported.

The BJP government took office on Saturday after defeating the TMC in the Assembly elections.

The CBI was permitted to take action in matters that are under court-monitored investigations, The Times of India reported.

Adhikari said that action against “institutional corruption” had been part of the BJP’s election manifesto and that more such steps would be taken in the coming days.

His comments came two days after TMC leader Sujit Bose, a former fire and emergency services minister, was arrested on Monday for his alleged involvement in allegedly illegal appointments in the South Dum Dum municipality.

On Wednesday, a court remanded Bose to the custody of the Enforcement Directorate.

The alleged scams

The school recruitment scam relates to the alleged illegal appointments of unqualified candidates as primary...

Read more