CPI-M’s anti-jobs scam face Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya defends TMC leaders in court, faces backlash

Bhattacharya represented the couple in the Calcutta High Court where they sought anticipatory bail in a case linked to alleged corruption charges.

Kalyan Banerjee Attacks Bhattacharya

Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee slammed Bhattacharya over the court appearance.

In a post on X, Banerjee wrote: “A learned senior advocate, who frequently projects himself as a crusader against corruption, is now appearing on behalf of a former TMC MLA and her husband, both of whom face serious allegations of corruption.”

He further added: “The irony is striking when the same gentleman argues in court that 32,000 primary teachers secured employment through corrupt means.”

Criticism From Left Supporters

Bhattacharya also faced criticism from sections of the Left camp.

Bengali filmmaker Saurav Palodhi questioned the CPI-M veteran’s decision, saying: “How can you fight in court to prove that the corruption and theft of the party responsible for the killing of thousands of your party workers is not actually corruption?”

He further added: “And then you will try to set the narrative calling this your ‘professional duty’. What kind of comradeship is this?”

CPI-M Reacts

CPI-M leader Satarup Ghosh also commented on the controversy.

“Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya had also fought for other party leaders as well in the past,” Satarup said, before adding, “But only he can justify his decision to advocate Aditi Munshi and Debraj Chakraborty.”

Bhattacharya Defends His Decision

Defending his move, Bhattacharya said he was only carrying out his professional responsibilities as a lawyer.

“I am still a critic of Mamata Banerjee,” he said.

Anti-‘jobs scam’ crusader faces backlash

Bhattacharya became one of the prominent legal faces associated with the West Bengal school recruitment or “jobs scam” cases that shook the state’s education system.

As a senior advocate and CPI-M Rajya Sabha MP, Bhattacharya appeared in the Calcutta High Court in multiple hearings linked to alleged irregularities in recruitment by the School Service Commission (SSC) and primary education boards.

He was among the lawyers who strongly argued that thousands of teaching and non-teaching appointments were secured through corruption, bribery and manipulation of merit lists. Bhattacharya repeatedly sought court-monitored investigations and cancellation of allegedly illegal appointments.

The Calcutta High Court, under Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay during several phases of the case, ordered multiple investigations by central agencies including the CBI and ED. The controversy eventually led to the arrest of former West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee and several others.

Bhattacharya’s aggressive courtroom stance against the Trinamool Congress government made him one of the most visible Opposition legal voices in the jobs scam controversy. That is why his recent appearance for former TMC MLA Aditi Munshi triggered sharp reactions from both political rivals and sections of Left supporters.