Teachers’ scam: Suspension inevitable for arrested Trinamool leader from state-run power utility

Kolkata: Additional trouble seems to brewing for Santanu Bandopadhyay, the Trinamool Congress leader arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the multi-crore teachers’ recruitment scam in West Bengal, as his suspension has become inevitable from the state-run power utility where he is an employee.

He is employed as a “senior technical support hand” with the state-run power distribution utility. West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (WBSEDCL).

The paragraph 64 under Chapter – IV (Conduct, disciple, punishment and appeal) of the West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (WBSEDCL) Employees’ Service Regulations clearly states that if an employee is in custody (police or judicial) for 48 hours or more he will be placed under suspension from the time he is taken in custody.

“If an employee of the Company is prosecuted for a criminal offence and forced to remain absent from duty by reason of being committed to Police or Jail custody on a criminal charge or by reason of his being committed to prison under the Preventive Detention Act for activities other than ones connected with an illegal strike or for a debt and if his absence on the aforesaid ground exceeds 48 hours, he shall be deemed to be under suspension from the time he was taken to custody,” the said paragraph has clearly said.

As per the sequence of events, Bandyopadhyay was arrested by the ED on the evening of March 10 and was presented at a special court of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in Kolkata on March 11, when the court remanded him to initial judicial custody till March 13. On March 13, he was again presented at the same court which extended his judicial custody till March 24.

So going by the sequence, his tenure in custody has exceeded 48 hours. However, it is yet to be clear whether the state-run power utility concerned or the state power department has started the process of putting him under suspension. The officials of both the state power department and the power-utility concerned have maintained total silence in the matter.

Senior advocate of the Calcutta High Court and CPI(M) Rajya Sabha member Bikas Ranjan Bhattacharya said that as per the legal provision as well as the service rules of WBSEDCL, Bandopadhyay should have been placed under suspension by now. “Here ED custody is deemed as police custody,” he said.

At the same time, the question that is baffling the ED officials is how Bandopadhyay, a non-graduate and just a senior technical support hand with an annual pay-band of Rs 2,00,000 and Rs 6,00,000 can own assets and property worth multiple crores of rupees.

–IANS