CBI begins interrogating Abhishek Banerjee in Bengal school recruitment case

Kolkata, May 20 (IANS) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday started the interrogation of Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee in the West Bengal school recruitment case.

Banerjee arrived at the central probe agency's Nizam Palace office at 10.55 a.m., and the questioning began at 11.20 a.m.

Sources said that he is being questioned by a three-member interrogation team of the CBI's anti-corruption branch (ACB), one each in the rank of superintendent, deputy superintendent and inspector.

While the main questioning is being done by the superintendent and deputy superintendent, the inspector will be mainly responsible for noting down the proceedings.

The sources said that the CBI team started the investigation with a five-page questionnaire, which the CBI has prepared on the basis of the statements given by an accused in the scam and expelled youth Trinamool Congress leader, Kuntal Ghosh.

Banerjee's name surfaced in the case after Ghosh gave letters to a local police station and the judge of a special court of CBI accusing central agencies of putting pressure on him to name the general secrtary in the case.

Meanwhile, Banerjee's counsels have filed a special leave petition at the Supreme Court, challenging the decision of the Calcutta High Court's single-judge bench of Justice Amrita Sinha on Thursday giving a go-ahead to central agencies to question him.

On Saturday morning, Banerjee himself gave a letter to the CBI informing the latter about the special leave petition at the apex court.

On Thursday, while passing the order, Justice Sinha also imposed a penalty of Rs 25 lakhs each on Banerjee and Ghosh for wasting the time of the court.

On Friday morning, Banerjee's counsel approached two division benches of the high court challenging the single-judge bench order and also appealing for a fast-track hearing in the matter.

However, both the division benches turned down the plea.

The summons by the CBI followed.