The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned Trinamool Congress MP and party national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee for questioning on Monday in connection with its money laundering investigation linked to the alleged primary teacher recruitment scam in West Bengal. According to officials, Banerjee has been asked to appear before the agency's zonal office in Kolkata as investigators continue to probe alleged financial irregularities in the recruitment process for primary school teachers in the state.
Probe stems from CBI FIR ordered by High Court
The money laundering case is based on an FIR registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) following directions from the Calcutta High Court. Investigators are examining allegations that recruitment rules were violated and appointments were granted to ineligible or lower-ranked candidates, while deserving applicants were allegedly denied jobs. Agencies suspect that the irregularities were part of a larger conspiracy involving the manipulation of the recruitment process.
ED tracks money trail in recruitment scam
The ED has been probing the alleged proceeds of crime generated through the recruitment scam and has filed multiple prosecution complaints in the case. In its sixth supplementary prosecution complaint, filed in August 2025, the agency named Chandranath Sinha as an accused in the money laundering investigation. Earlier searches conducted at his premises reportedly led to the recovery of Rs 41 lakh in cash and several documents linked to the probe.
The agency has also alleged that multiple properties were purchased in the names of family members using funds suspected to be connected to the scam. These assets have been provisionally attached as part of the investigation.
Cash, gold and assets worth hundreds of crore under scanner
The teacher recruitment scam first grabbed national attention after ED raids at premises linked to Arpita Mukherjee, a close aide of former West Bengal education minister Partha Chatterjee. During the searches, the agency seized cash worth Rs 49.80 crore and gold jewellery valued at over Rs 5 crore. The recoveries became one of the largest cash seizures in a corruption-linked investigation in recent years.
So far, the ED has arrested seven individuals in connection with the case, including Partha Chatterjee and Arpita Mukherjee.
Properties worth over Rs 154 crore attached in primary recruitment case
According to the agency, assets worth around Rs 154.91 crore have been seized or attached in the primary teacher recruitment scam alone. The ED said it has filed one original prosecution complaint and six supplementary complaints before the court. Charges have been framed against 54 individuals and entities, including Partha Chatterjee, Arpita Mukherjee and former MLA Manik Bhattacharya.
The probe has expanded beyond the primary teacher recruitment case and now covers alleged irregularities in SSC assistant teacher recruitment as well as Group C and Group D appointments.
Officials said assets worth nearly Rs 486 crore have been attached in those cases. Overall, the ED's Kolkata office has provisionally attached properties worth around Rs 641 crore across various recruitment scam investigations.
With Abhishek Banerjee now being summoned for questioning, the spotlight is once again on one of West Bengal's most politically sensitive corruption probes.
