Bengal education minister faces CBI questioning over daughter's 'illegal' appointment as teacher

Kolkata: West Bengal Minister of State for Education Paresh Chandra Adhikari on Friday morning reached the CBI office here for interrogation over alleged illegal appointment of his daughter as a teacher in a government-aided school.

The central agency had on Thursday filed an FIR against Adhikari after he failed to meet the deadline set by the Calcutta High Court for appearance before its sleuths in connection with the case. Adhikari, along with his daughter, was booked under IPC sections 420 (cheating and dishonesty) and 120B (criminal conspiracy), besides sections under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

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Adhikari came to the CBI office around 10.30 AM on Friday. The high court was hearing a petition filed by a candidate who claimed that she was deprived of the position despite having secured higher marks than Adhikari's daughter in the recruitment examination.

The court had on Thursday directed Adhikari to appear before the CBI by 3 PM, but his lawyer submitted that he was in Coochbehar in north Bengal and would travel to Kolkata by air in the evening. Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay then asked the Bidhannagar police to take him to the CBI office as soon as he lands at the NSC Bose Airport here.

The court also said that if Adhikari was found missing on the flight, it would be treated as a hoax created by him to escape the court and the CBI and, in that case, the matter would be dealt with accordingly. It had earlier ordered the minister to appear before the CBI on May 17.

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The TMC leader, however, skipped appearance on Wednesday, and also failed to meet the 3 PM deadline set by the court on Thursday. He had mailed the CBI seeking more time to appear before it for questioning.