The ED, Kolkata Zonal Office, filed the first supplementary prosecution complaint on August 20, 2026, before the Hon’ble Special Court (PMLA), Kolkata, against Partha Chatterjee, Ms. Arpita Mukherjee, Kuntal Ghosh, and others in connection with the SSC Group-C and Group-D staff recruitment scam in West Bengal. This complaint has been filed in continuation of the prosecution complaint filed on January 22, 2025, under the PMLA, 2002.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED), Kolkata Zonal Office has filed the First Supplementary Prosecution Complaint on 20.08.2026 before the Hon’ble Special Court (PMLA), Kolkata against Partha Chatterjee, Ms. Arpita Mukherjee, Kuntal Ghosh and others in connection with the SSC Group-C and Group-D employee recruitment scam in West Bengal. The said complaint has been filed in continuation of the Prosecution Complaint dated 22.01.2025 filed under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
The Enforcement Directorate initiated an investigation based on an FIR registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Anti-Corruption Branch, Kolkata, regarding large-scale irregularities in the recruitment of Group C and Group D employees through the West Bengal Central School Service Commission (WBCSSC). The scheduled offences relate to criminal conspiracy, cheating, and corruption under the provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
The investigation conducted under PMLA revealed that the recruitment scam was carried out through manipulation of OMR marks, manipulation of ranks, issuance of fake and backdated recommendation letters, making illegal appointments after the expiry of the panel tenure and appointment of ineligible candidates by bypassing the prescribed recruitment procedures.
The investigation further revealed that Mr. Partha Chatterjee, who was then the Minister in charge of the Education Department, exercised wide authority over the WBCSSC and affiliated institutions and abused his official position to influence and facilitate illegal recruitments. The investigation also revealed that lists of ineligible candidates were prepared pursuant to his instructions and sent through intermediaries, including Mr. Prasanna Kumar Roy and his associates, for recommendation and issuance of appointment letters. The investigation further revealed that OMR-based examination results were manipulated and rank was manipulated to facilitate illegal appointments.
The investigation further revealed that a network of middlemen and agents extorted illegal bribes from candidates seeking appointments in exchange for assured appointments. Candidates were demanded to pay amounts ranging from approximately ₹10 lakh to ₹20 lakh for various positions, while ineligible candidates were charged ₹15-16 lakh for Group C positions and ₹10-12 lakh for Group D positions. Prasanna Kumar Roy acted as the key middleman and, along with his associates, facilitated the collection and transfer of proceeds of crime through various channels.
The investigation has determined the amount of proceeds of crime in the Group C and Group D recruitment scam to be at least ₹630.40 crore. This quantification was based on the number of illegal appointments and the amounts collected from candidates. The investigation has also established that the actual amount of proceeds of crime may be higher, as the scam also involved other methods of illegal recruitment, including rank manipulation, appointments outside the panel, appointments after the expiry of the panel, and manipulation through the RTI/re-evaluation mechanism.
The investigation further revealed that the proceeds of crime earned through illegal recruitment were concealed, possessed, acquired, utilized, and presented as untainted assets through a network of associates, front persons, and shell/dummy entities. In a related case related to the Primary Teacher Recruitment Scam, searches at the premises of Ms. Arpita Mukherjee resulted in the seizure of approximately ₹49.80 crore in cash and gold and jewellery worth approximately ₹5.08 crore. The investigation revealed that Ms. Arpita Mukherjee acted as the custodian of the ill-gotten money and was made a director/shareholder in several shell and dummy companies used to hold and transfer the proceeds of crime at various levels.
Additionally, numerous immovable properties were acquired using funds from the recruitment scam through entities affiliated with the accused individuals and their associates. The ED has so far attached properties worth approximately ₹247.35 crore in the SSC Group C and Group D recruitment scams. The ED has so far attached proceeds of crime worth more than ₹702 crore in the SSC and primary teachers recruitment scam cases.
The Honorable Supreme Court, in its judgment dated 03.04.2025 in SLP (Civil) No. 9586/2024, Government of West Bengal vs. Baisakhi Bhattacharya (Chatterjee) & Ors., held that the recruitment process conducted by the West Bengal Central School Service Commission was tainted with fraud and cancelled the appointments of over 25,000 teachers and staff. The judgment also noted widespread irregularities, including manipulation of OMR scores, manipulation of ranks, and illegal appointments.
Radhika Goyal is Author of Taxconcept Gurugram head office, for deeply reported tax, gst and income tax articles on issues that matter. He splits her time between New Delhi and Bengaluru, and has worked as a reporter, a podcaster and an editor for publications across India.