ED questions Abhishek Banerjee in teachers’ recruitment scam probe

Trinamool Congress national general secretary and Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday for questioning in its money laundering investigation linked to alleged irregularities in the primary teachers’ recruitment scam in West Bengal. Banerjee reached the ED office at the CGO Complex in Salt Lake around 11 am, following a summons issued earlier this month.

Officials said Banerjee was questioned as part of the PMLA investigation into financial transactions and suspected illegal gains from recruitment irregularities during the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC Government. This is the first time the ED has questioned him in this case. The agency has been investigating the primary teachers’ recruitment scam since 2022, after a CBI FIR. They are looking into the money trail, including how alleged bribe money was moved through accounts and companies, and whether any funds were hidden. Sources said investigators showed Banerjee documents, digital records, and statements from other accused people.

The scam involves irregularities in hiring primary school teachers by the West Bengal Board of Primary Education. Allegations say that ineligible or lower-ranked candidates were given jobs in exchange for bribes, ignoring the merit list. The Calcutta High Court cancelled the appointments of more than 25,000 teachers and non-teaching staff, calling the process “vitiated by manipulation and fraud.” The Supreme Court agreed with this decision. In July 2022, the ED arrested former state Education Minister Partha Chatterjee in connection with the case. Searches at his aide Arpita Mukherjee’s properties found about Rs 50 crore in cash and Rs 4.5 crore in gold jewellery.

So far, the ED has seized properties worth about Rs 154 crore in the primary teachers’ recruitment case. Several charge sheets have been filed, naming multiple people, including former officials, as accused. In related school recruitment cases, including SSC assistant teachers and Group C and D posts, the ED has seized assets totalling over Rs 600 crore. Political reactions to Monday’s events were predictable. The ruling BJP welcomed the investigation as a move towards accountability, while TMC leaders said the actions against their party members were politically motivated.

This follows the BJP’s landslide win in the May 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, which ended the TMC’s 15-year rule. Abhishek Banerjee, who is the nephew of former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, has said he is not involved in any wrongdoing. The ED’s questioning is part of its ongoing effort to trace all financial transactions in the alleged scam. The investigation is still underway, officials said.