The West Bengal government has granted CBI sanction to proceed against officials accused in corruption cases linked to recruitments in schools and civic bodies, according to reports from Business Standard. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced this development at a press conference at the state secretariat, Nabanna, on Wednesday. The government has granted necessary sanction to the CBI against officials linked to corruption in three departments, with copies of the approval already sent to the agency. As reported by BJP West Bengal, the state government has given sanction in four major cases — the teacher recruitment scam, municipal scam, cooperative scam, and a new case involving officials of the education department in the recruitment scam, the municipal affairs department in the alleged 'super recruitment' scam, and cases linked to the cooperative department that are under court-monitored investigation.
According to Business Standard reports, the previous dispensation had for nearly four years withheld permission for CBI to act in four cases involving senior government officials accused of corruption. As reported by Adhikari, the TMC government deliberately withheld those permissions to shield corrupt bureaucrats and officials. Under the law, the CBI or investigating agency requires sanction from the state government to file charge sheets, prosecutions, or initiate action against government officials accused of corruption. The earlier CM who also headed the home department kept the sanction pending to protect the corrupt officers, as reported by Adhikari to reporters.
As reported by Business Standard, the approvals relate to cases concerning alleged irregularities in teacher recruitment under the education department, municipal affairs department recruitment scams, and investigations linked to the cooperative department that are being monitored by courts. The cases involve three departments and span multiple areas of government operations, including education, municipal affairs, and cooperative departments. The latest sanction specifically covers officials of the education department in the recruitment scam, the municipal affairs department in the alleged 'super recruitment' scam, and cases linked to the cooperative department that are under court-monitored investigation.
According to Business Standard reports, Adhikari pointed out that the BJP had repeatedly promised zero tolerance towards corruption during the election campaign and asserted the new government has begun working on it. He emphasized that action against institutional corruption was also part of their party's manifesto. The chief minister stated that people have high expectations from the new government and promised that in the coming days, people of the state will witness more such measures against corruption. As reported by BJP West Bengal, the present government has adopted a 'zero tolerance' policy against corruption and institutional corruption. Adhikari told reporters that today I signed the document, as BJP govt has zero tolerance for corruption.
