Teachers' hiring case: HC bars CBI from taking former advisor into custody

kolkata: A division bench of the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday refused to interfere with an order of a single bench that directed former advisor of West Bengal School Service Commission S P Sinha to appear before the CBI in connection with alleged irregularities in recruitment but barred the agency from taking him into custody.

Sinha went to the CBI office at 5.10 pm on Tuesday following the order of the division bench. Observing that a stay granted to him by another division bench presided by Justice Soumen Sen expired on Monday, Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay permitted the Central Bureau of Investigation to hold custodial interrogation of him and directed the officer-in-charge of Survey Park Police station in Kolkata to ensure the presence of Sinha before the agency.

Taking up an appeal by Sinha, the division bench presided by Justice Subrata Talukdar did not interfere with the order of Justice Gangopadhyay that he has to appear before the CBI on Tuesday itself, while directing that the agency will not take him into custody.

Justice Gangopadhyay directed Sinha to appear before the central agency for interrogation by 3 pm of Tuesday "as the stay order he was enjoying till Monday has not been extended by any court of law".