Bengal school jobs scam: Kolkata court rejects TMC MLA Jiban Krishna Saha's bail prayer

Kolkata, Nov 6 (PTI) A special court here on Thursday rejected the bail prayer of Trinamool Congress MLA Jiban Krishna Saha, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the school jobs scam in West Bengal.

The ED, which had initiated investigation on the basis of an FIR registered by the CBI into the recruitment irregularities, has claimed that it has already attached proceeds of crime to the tune of Rs 238 crore.

The special court at Bichar Bhavan rejected the bail prayer of Saha and extended his judicial remand till November 18, over the prima facie finding of his alleged involvement in irregularities in the recruitment of assistant teachers in West Bengal government-run and aided schools.

The Supreme Court had earlier in the year cancelled the appointments of more than 25,500 candidates by the West Bengal School Service Commission as teachers and staff, terming the entire process a fraud.

The ED had arrested Saha, the TMC MLA from Burwan constituency in Murshidabad district, on August 26 during a raid at his residence, after he made a dramatic bid to escape by jumping over the boundary wall behind the house. PTI AMR RBT