The Supreme Court has asked the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to respond to a bail plea filed by Trinamool Congress MLA Manik Bhattacharya, who is currently jailed in connection with alleged irregularities in the teachers' recruitment "scam" case. The bench, headed by Justices Bela M Trivedi and SC Sharma, issued notice to the ED and sought its reply on the appeal challenging the November 16 order of the Calcutta High Court rejecting Bhattacharya's bail application. The high court had stated that Bhattacharya's release at that stage of the investigation could have an impact, considering the accused's influence and the ongoing investigation, which had a fixed deadline of December 31, 2023. Bhattacharya, a former chairman of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education and a TMC MLA, was arrested by the ED on October 11 last year for alleged non- cooperation with the investigation. The Supreme Court had previously dismissed his plea against the ED's action, stating that the arrest was not illegal.

Source- PTI