Calcutta HC directs ED to shift WB Minister Partha Chatterjee to AIIMS Bhubaneswar from state-run SSKM

Earlier, the ED moved the Calcutta High Court challenging a lower court order that led to TMC Secretary-General Partha Chatterjee being admitted in the state government-run SSKM Hospital.

While hearing the matter, a single bench of Justice Bibek Chaudhuri directed the ED to take Partha Chatterjee to AIIMS Bhubaneswar by air ambulance on Monday (July 25) early morning.

"The investigation agency is directed to take the accused [Partha Chatterjee] by air ambulance to AIIMS Bhubaneswar in the early morning of July 25, 2022, Monday," the court order read. "The accused shall be taken to NSC Bose Airport, Kolkata by an ambulance of SSKM Super Speciality hospital."

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"He will be accompanied by a doctor of SSKM Super Speciality hospital and an advocate for the accused," it added.

The High Court has directed the AIIMS Bhubaneswar authority to medically examine Partha Chatterjee by a team of specialist doctors of Cardiology, Nephrology, Respiratory Medicines and Endocrinology departments.

"The AIIMS Bhubaneswar will prepare a medical report and hand over the copies of the same to the investigation officer, medical officer of SSKM hospital and the learned advocate for the accused by 3 pm on Monday, July 25, 2022," the court directed.

The court also directed the investigation officer of the ED to forward soft copies of Chatterjee's medical reports to his counterpart in Kolkata.

The court has asked the ED to produce Partha Chatterjee before the lower court on Monday virtually via video link.

The Bankshall Court, where Chatterjee was produced by the ED on Saturday afternoon - hours after his arrest - had allowed the defence counsel's plea that Chatterjee be examined at SSKM Hospital for his multiple ailments including diabetes, hypertension and thyroid gland problem.

The ED counsel had then expressed his opposition to Chatterjee being taken to SSKM, but the court stuck to its order.

From the court, Chatterjee was then taken to SSKM's emergency outdoor, where he complained of chest pain and was admitted to the Intensive Coronary Care Unit (ICCU) on Saturday night.

The ED had approached high court Chief Justice Prakash Srivastav on Saturday night itself saying it was aggrieved over the lower court order and seeking a quick hearing.

Claiming that the Bankshall court order was not legally tenable, the ED has pleaded that Chatterjee be admitted to the Command Hospital here for medical examination.

Meanwhile, Partha Chatterjee's close aide Arpita Mukherjee was produced in Bankshall Court earlier on Sunday.

She has been sent to ED custody for one day.

Both Arpita and Partha Chatterjee will be produced before ED special Court at Bankshall Court on Monday.

On Friday night, the ED issued a statement claiming to have recovered Rs 21 crore 90 lakh in cash, suspected to be the "proceeds of the School Service Commission (SSC) scam", from Arpita Mukherjee's South Kolkata apartment.

While hearing Partha Chatterjee's matter at the Calcutta High Court, ED's counsel claimed that several documents related to West Bengal Group D staff recruitment had been recovered and seized from Chatterjee's house during the raid, which "indicates Partha Chatterjee is already involved in the appointment of Group D staff."

The ED also told the state's apex court that documents of immovable property in the name of Partha Chatterjee's 'close associate' Arpita Mukherjee and her company had been recovered and seized from Chatterjee's residence during raid.