Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday rejected the bail plea of private promoter Ayan Sil in connection with the alleged municipal recruitment scam.
Sil moved the division bench of Justice Debangsu Basak and Justice Smita Das with a bail plea in the municipalities’ recruitment case.
The bench observed that there are sufficient materials implicating the petitioner in facilitating grant of appointments to candidates who are not entitled to appointments in municipalities. Investigations are ongoing. Period of custody is not such as to invoke Article 21 of the Constitution of India at this stage. “Enlarging the petitioner is likely to derail the investigation. In any event, it will send a wrong signal to the society given the gravity of the offence and the involvement of the petitioner therein,” the court said. Deputy Solicitor General appearing for the CBI submitted that the investigations are ongoing. There are 17 municipalities involved where appointments were given illegally. He pointed out that the CBI seized OMR sheets of persons who received appointments and that such OMRs are of candidates who were given appointments. The marks of such OMR sheets do not match the numbers on the basis of which, such persons were given the appointments. There are 17 municipalities involved where appointments were given illegally.
Sil’s counsel submitted there is hardly any likelihood of the trial commencing any time soon, let alone, concluding. It was pointed out that the petitioner is in custody in excess of 11 months without the possibility of a commencement of the trial in the near future. She seeks bail on the basis of Article 21 of the Constitution of India.