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The Calcutta High Court on Friday made it clear that the Joint Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in Kolkata, Mr. N. Venugopal, shall be the head of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) which will probe the 'teachers recruitment scam' in West Bengal. 

The Court is hearing a matter of alleged irregularities in the appointment of teachers in state government-sponsored and aided primary schools under the West Bengal Board of Primary Education(WBBPE).

On Wednesday, the bench of Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay had expressed displeasure over the progress of investigations that the CBI has undertaken. Court had said that it was not satisfied with the progress made and that the agency did not intimate the Bench about the progress made by it.

Then, the Court had ordered the CBI to form a SIT headed by the Joint Director to look into the irregularities in the case. Court also said that no member of the SIT can be transferred till the investigation is complete.

In pursuance of the same, on Thursday, June 17, CBI intimated the details of the SIT to the court. CBI has constituted a SIT team of six officers. The members of the team are:

(i) Dharamveer Singh, Additional SP, CBI, ACB, Kolkata (ii) Satender Singh, Deputy SP, CBI, ACB, Kolkata (iii) K.C. Risinamol, Deputy SP, CBI, ACB, Kolkata (iv) Somnath Biswas, Inspector, CBI, ACB, Kolkata (v) Moloy Das, Inspector, CBI, ACB, Kolkata (vi) Imran Ashique, Inspector, CBI, ACB, Kolkata

A request has been raised by the counsel for the petitioners to reconsider the name of K.C. Risinamol for replacing her with some other officer of similar rank.

CBI informed the court that the SIT would investigate the cases entrusted by the High Court of Calcutta under the close supervision of the Head of the Branch (HOB) and Joint Director (HOZ) of CBI, ACB, Kolkata. Taking note of the same, Justice Gangopadhyay made it clear that Joint Director Mr. N. Venugopal will be the head of the SIT meaning thereby he will supervise the investigation of SIT for the purpose for which it has been constituted.

Before parting with the order, Court further directed the West Bengal Board of Primary Education to produce the following documents on the next date of hearing. 

(i) The applications, made by 2787 candidates who wanted their OMR sheets are to be reviewed/ re-examined, (ii) The second panel of 273 candidates spread over the State under different district primary school councils as has been stated in the report earlier submitted, (iii) The Board’s resolution to send the question and the answer key to the expert committee on School Education Department, Government of West Bengal (iv) The names of the members of the expert committee and the date of constitution of the said expert committee (v) The resolution of the Board in the meeting dated 20.11.2017 and (vi) The view of the Department of School Education, Government of West Bengal, accepting the recommendation of awarding one mark.

Case Title: Ramesh Malik & Ors. Vs. The State of West Bengal & Ors.