Rs 3.65 Crore Assets Of Bengal Minister Attached In Teacher Recruitment Scam

The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Kolkata Zonal Office, has provisionally attached immovable properties worth Rs 3.65 crore belonging to West Bengal MLA and Minister-in-Charge for Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises, Textiles and Correctional Administration, Chandranath Sinha, in connection with the Primary Teachers Recruitment Scam. The attachment was made on December 31, 2025, under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

The ED initiated its probe based on an FIR registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act. The CBI case pertains to the alleged illegal appointment of primary teachers, where undeserving, non-listed and lower-ranked candidates were appointed by flouting recruitment rules, allegedly depriving genuine candidates. The FIR was registered on the directions of the Calcutta High Court.

Earlier, the ED had filed a prosecution complaint against Chandranath Sinha on August 6, 2025, before the Special PMLA Court in Kolkata. Searches conducted at his residence in March 2024 had led to the seizure of Rs 41 lakh in cash and incriminating documents. The investigation further revealed large cash deposits in bank accounts allegedly controlled by him and the acquisition of properties in the names of family members in and around Bolpur, Birbhum, which have now been attached.

The agency has so far issued six provisional attachment orders amounting to approximately Rs 98.65 crore in the case. The total seizure and attachment in the Primary Teachers Recruitment Scam now stands at around Rs 154.91 crore. In related recruitment scam cases, including SSC Assistant Teacher and Group 'C' and 'D' staff recruitments, the ED has attached properties worth about Rs 486 crore, taking the total attachment to approximately Rs 641 crore. Further investigation is underway.