West Bengal recruitment scam: Minister's daughter returns Rs 8 lakh salary

Ankita Adhikari, daughter of West Bengal Minister of State for Education Paresh Chandra Adhikari, returned to the High Court Rs 7,98,422 as the first installment of the salary drawn as a teacher in the SSC Recruitment Scam.

Kolkata(West Bengal): Ankita Adhikari, daughter of West Bengal Minister of State for Education Paresh Chandra Adhikari, returned to the High Court Rs 7,98,422 as the first installment of the salary drawn as a teacher in the SSC Recruitment Scam. The court had ordered Ankita to return the salary in installments after the School Service Commission recruitment scam came to the fore. On May 20, Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay issued an order terminating the minister's daughter from the job.

After the former Left Front leader, Paresh Chandra Adhikari switched his allegiance to Trinamool Congress on 31 August 2016, the School Service Commission recommended Ankita's name as a teacher for political science. Accordingly, she was appointed to Indira Girls High School which is just 1 km from her home. It is alleged that the entire merit list was changed and Ankita's name was drafted into the merit list.

As many as 20 people were recruited from the waiting list. The plaintiff Babita Sarkar, who was at number 20 on the waiting list for political science, had total marks of 77 and Paresh Adhikari's daughter Ankita Adhikari scored 61. Despite this, Ankita Adhikari was recruited with her father's influence. It may be noted that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has already interrogated Paresh Adhikari on several occasions on the charge of unjustly securing employment for his daughter.

The report related to that has also been submitted to the court on Friday. Adhikari and his daughter were charged under the Indian Penal Code Sections 420 (cheating and dishonesty) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) and sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act by the CBI.