Kolkata, Mar 29, 2023, IANS

Kolkata, March 29 (IANS): Calcutta High Court's Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay, while hearing a matter relating to the multi-crore scam in the recruitment of teaching and non-teaching staff at state-run schools, observed on Wednesday that at times he is better at interrogation compared to the CBI sleuths probing the matter.

On Wednesday, the Central Bureau of Investigation counsel informed Justice Gangopadhyay's bench that during interrogation, Trinamool Congress legislator andWest Bengal Board of Primary Education's (WBBPE) former President Manik Bhattacharya had informed the central agency sleuths no fresh tender for supply of OMR sheets for the teaches' eligibility test was floated in 2014.

Counsel also informed that Bhattacharya has also informed the CBI sleuths that a tender was floated in 2012, where S Basu Roy & Company bagged the tender. Bhattacharya has also reportedly told the CBI sleuths that since the performance of the said company was satisfactory so that they were awarded the contract for OMR sheet supply again in 2014.

However, Justice Gangopadhyay was not satisfied with the report submitted by CBI on this count. "Is this a proper interrogation? I can conduct better interrogation. There are several advocates in Calcutta High Court who are better at interrogation. There is a need to complete the process of investigation. It is a matter of disgrace," he observed.

According to him, following the flood of complaints as well as the documents available with the court, the latter can easily cancel the entire recruitment process. "But that would harm the interest of those who secured the jobs in proper and ethical ways. I would not like a single eligible candidate to suffer. I wonder how a contract could be awarded to an entity without floating a proper tender on this count," he observed.