KOLKATA: Shortly after CBI interrogated Trinamool Congress’s secretary general and former education minister Partha Chatterjee for four hours in connection with the alleged irregularities in recruitment of teachers and non-teaching staffs in the state-run schools through the School Service Commission (SSC), the Kolkata High Court on Wednesday decided to open a late night session after petitioners sought protection of evidences by the CRPF which they believe to be crucial.

The petitioners said the evidences are important as it convinced the high court to engage the CBI to conduct a probe giving liberty the central agency to interrogate the TMC heavyweight. They also said in their petition that the evidences should be protected by the CRPF as there might be attempts to tamper it.

Chatterjee turned up at the CBI office shortly after the division bench upheld the single-bench judge’s order asking CBI to probe into the irregularities.

Though Chatterjee moved a division bench on Wednesday afternoon but his petition was not entertained.

Four members of the recommendation committee, which was formed by Chatterjee to facilitate the alleged irregularities.

On April 12 this year, Justice Gangopadhyay had ordered Chatterjee to face the CBI probe on the same day but a division bench had put a stay on it.

"The single bench mentioned in its order gave liberty to the CBI to arrest Chatterjee, if needed," said advocate Sudipta Sengupta.

Upholding the previous order, in which a CBI probe was ordered in the elleged recruitment scam, the division bench comprising Justice Subrata Talukdar and Ananda Kumar Mukherjee said on Wednesday that there was no infirmity in the orders of the single bench. The division bench said in its order that the scam and the money trail involved would be investigated according to the orders of the single bench.

Earlier the high court had set up a committee headed by retired HC justice Ranjit Kumar Bag to probe into the alleged irregularities. The committee found massive discrepancies and recommended criminal proceedings along with disciplinary proceedings some former officials of the SSC.

The committee recommended criminal proceedings against four former SSC officials and the incumbent president of the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education. It also sought disciplinary proceedings against six other former senior SSC officials. 

Welcoming the court’s order, BJP’s state president Sukanta Majumdar alleged the government and its ministers are shameless. ‘’We know there has been huge corruption. If the CBI starts investigation, the entire illegal trader surface,’’ he said.

"This is a court matter and the issue is subjudice. If anyone did anything wrong, the party will not take responsibility," said TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh.

Kolkata High Court ordered no one would be allowed to enter SSC office till 1 pm as the CRPF will guard the establishment.The order in response to petition to protect documents related to irregularities in recruitment in schools through SSC.