On Friday, the Supreme Court said that just because someone is a minister, it doesn’t mean they get special treatment when asking for bail. The court made this clear while discussing the case of former West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee. He was involved in a money-laundering case linked to a job scam in West Bengal.
The judges, Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan, granted Chatterjee conditional bail, but emphasized that a person’s job title does not affect judicial decisions. They pointed out that fairness should guide the law, meaning decisions should be based on facts and not on someone’s status or influence.
Chatterjee argued that being a minister at the time should give him some advantages in getting bail, but the court did not agree. They stated that a person’s government position shouldn’t affect the bail decision either positively or negatively.
The court also noted that keeping someone in jail for a long time without a trial is unfair and takes away their right to freedom. They said that bail decisions should consider several factors, like how serious the crime is, the nature of the allegations, and whether the accused is likely to interfere with the investigation or run away.
The judges looked at Chatterjee’s case closely, noting that the job scam affected many deserving job seekers. They mentioned that evidence linked him to large amounts of bribe money found at a colleague’s home and business.
The Supreme Court decided that Chatterjee would be released on bail on February 1, 2025, but only if the trial court charges him and checks on vulnerable witnesses by January 30. However, Chatterjee remains in jail because he faces charges in other cases related to the job scam. Since he was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on July 22, 2022, he has been in custody.
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