Bengal municipal scam: ED issues notice to Diamond Harbour municipality

Kolkata: The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is running a parallel probe along with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the multi-crore municipalities’ recruitment case in West Bengal, on Wednesday served a notice to the Diamond Harbour Municipality seeking clarifications on certain hirings made back in 2016.

Sources said that the central agency has sought clarifications on the recruitment of 16 Group C staff in the municipality in 2016.

Confirming the receipt of ED's notice, the Diamond Harbour Municipality chairman Pranab Das said that they will respond to all the queries of the central agency.

Meera Halder, Diamond Harbour Municipality chairman in 2016, has claimed that the recruitment process of these 16 Group C staff then was absolutely transparent.

ED notice to Diamond Harbour Municipality comes just a day after the Calcutta High Court’s single-judge bench of Justice Amrita Sinha, on Tuesday, said that from now onwards the central agency probe in the recruitment case will be totally court-monitored.

She also directed the central agencies to expedite the pace of investigation on this count and nab the kingpins behind the alleged scam.

The original order for the central agency probe in the municipalities’ recruitment case was given by Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay of the Calcutta High Court. However, later, the matter was referred to the court of Justice Sinha, who had also upheld the earlier order by Justice Gangopadhyay.

The state government challenged the order at the Supreme Court. However, recently, the apex court too upheld the Calcutta High Court orders and directed the central agencies to carry on with their investigation in the matter.