Partha Chatterjee gets Assembly committee roles after bail

Kolkata: Former Education minister Partha Chatterjee has been assigned new responsibilities in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly.

An official notification circulated ahead of the Budget Session shows that the Trinamool Congress MLA from Behala West has been inducted into the Library Committee and the Standing Committee on Housing, Fire and Emergency Services and Disaster Management. The order states that the appointments have been effective from December 11, 2025.

Assembly rules require every elected member to serve on at least two parliamentary committees. Sources said the Speaker’s decision to include the former minister was in keeping with established legislative procedure rather than any special consideration, as Chatterjee continues to be a sitting MLA.

In July 2022, Chatterjee was removed from his ministerial posts and party positions following his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a school recruitment scam. He was released on bail on November 11, 2025, after spending over three years

in custody. The Budget Session began on Tuesday with obituary references, though Chatterjee was absent on the opening day despite having earlier expressed willingness to attend. Speaker Biman Banerjee has earmarked a seat for him among the general benches. While he earlier occupied the front rows as a minister, Chatterjee will now sit further back as an ordinary member.

The Session opened under Speaker Biman Banerjee with obituary references to departed legislators and eminent personalities. Tributes were paid to Ajit Pawar, Acting Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra; Begum Khaleda Zia, former Prime Minister of Bangladesh; Arghya Sen, Rabindra

Sangeet exponent; and Dharmendra, veteran actor and former MP. Members observed a minute’s silence before the House was adjourned till 1.15 pm on Thursday.