Truth will prevail, to seek justice from voters: Ex-minister Partha after coming out of jail on bail

Kolkata, Nov 11 (PTI) Former West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee on Tuesday walked out of custody after more than three years, and declared that he remained confident of "truth's victory" and would seek "justice" from the people of his constituency who had elected him five times.

Chatterjee, who was arrested on July 23, 2022, in connection with the school jobs recruitment case, stepped out of a private hospital on EM Bypass around 2.20 pm in a wheelchair, a day after a special CBI court ordered his release.

Supporters waiting since morning broke into chants of "Parthada zindabad", as he emerged wearing a white kurta with blue floral prints and a blue mask.

In a statement issued shortly after he returned home, the suspended TMC MLA said, "I always had faith in the law. In the preliminary stage that truth has won. In the days ahead, truth will win again." Referring to his constituency, he added, "I am accountable to the people of Behala West. Those who considered me an honest man and elected me five times, I will go to them for justice." Chatterjee has represented Behala West since 2001.

Though visibly overwhelmed on seeing supporters at the hospital gate, Chatterjee declined to answer questions from the media, gesturing that he did not wish to speak.

After completing formalities, he was driven to his Naktala home in south Kolkata, followed by a convoy of supporters on motorcycles. From inside the vehicle, Chatterjee joined his palms to greet them.

At his residence, relatives welcomed him with traditional rituals. He walked into the house with support, accompanied by his brother, sister-in-law and niece.

Witnesses said the former minister became emotional on meeting his family after years, and his niece comforted him. He also remembered his late uncle, lyricist Shibdas Bandyopadhyay, upon entering the house. Supporters outside continued to raise slogans in his favour.

Chatterjee returned home after three years, three months and nineteen days in custody.

His release followed a direction of the Supreme Court earlier this year, which said that Chatterjee and two other accused - former SSC chairman Subires Bhattacharya and former adviser Shantiprasad Sinha - could be granted conditional bail once trial proceedings began in the CBI case. The top court had also asked the trial court to complete the first phase of witness examination by November 14 to enable consideration of regular bail.

On Monday, the deposition of the eighth prosecution witness concluded, after which the special CBI court in Alipore ordered Chatterjee's release.

The order reached Presidency Jail authorities and was subsequently forwarded to the hospital where he was admitted, enabling his discharge on Tuesday.

Chatterjee, one of the key accused in the cash-for-school jobs scam, secured bail on Tuesday, three years and three months after he was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on July 23, 2022.

The Trinamool Congress leader was subsequently arrested by the CBI in multiple cases related to the state School Service Commission recruitment irregularities in schools for teachers in classes 9-10, 11-12 and non-teaching staff in Groups C and D from the commission's panel for the year 2016.

After his arrest in 2022, the TMC, where he held the post of secretary general, was immediately suspended him for five years from the party. PTI PNT NN