The Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to former West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee in a money laundering case linked to the cash-for-job scam.

Calling Chatterjee a `corrupt person'', the court barred him from holding any public office.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan ruled that West Bengal Minister Pratha Chatterjee should be released on February 1, 2025. The court ordered that the trial court frames charges before the winter vacation and that vulnerable witnesses are examined by the second or third week of January 2025. The bench clarified that upon his release, Chatterjee won't hold any public office, but he may continue serving as an MLA, as reported by PTI.

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The bench emphasised that a suspect cannot be detained indefinitely. It highlighter the need to balance the rights of the accused and the interests of the victims.

The apex court on December 4 had reserved its verdict on Chatterjee's bail plea. "On the face of it, you are a corrupt person. Crores of rupees were recovered from your premises," it said.

Earlier, the top court in October had issued a notice to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) regarding Chatterjee's appeal against an April 30 order from the Calcutta High Court, which had denied him bail and cited the establishment of a prima facie case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

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Chatterjee was arrested in connection with alleged irregularities in the recruitment of teaching and non-teaching staff in West Bengal government-sponsored and aided primary schools. He and his alleged associate, Arpita Mukherjee, were detained by the ED as part of its investigation into the money trail linked to the illegal recruitments.

The ED in 2022 claimed to have found Rs 49.80 crore in cash, along with jewelry, gold bars and documents of properties and joint holdings linked to Mukherjee's flats.

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