Bengal municipality job scam: ED likely to submit ECIR against Ayan Sil this week

The Enforcement Directorate is likely to submit its enforcement case information report (ECIR) in the alleged multi-crore municipalities job scam in West Bengal this week at a special court of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in Kolkata.

While on one hand the ECIR will mark the beginning of ED's official entry in the investigation, the same report, on the other hand, will also arm the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) with solid documented evidence against the prime accused and private real estate promoter, Ayan Sil.

Meanwhile, sources said that the CBI, which has recently got the go-ahead of the Calcutta High Court for starting a parallel probe in the matter, might also apply to the same special court of PMLA to take custody of Sil for questioning.

In fact it was ED sleuths who brought out the involvement of Sil in the municipalities recruitment scam while conducting raid and search operations at the latter's residence in March this year in connection with the agency's probe in a similar recruitment scam in state-run schools of West Bengal.

Initially Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay gave the permission for a central agency probe in the alleged municipalities recruitment scam. However, the state government approached the Supreme Court challenging the order of Justice Gangopadhyay.

The apex court referred the matter back to the Calcutta High Court. Thereafter, the West Bengal government approached the Calcutta High Court's single-judge bench of Justice Amrita Sinha for quashing the previous order on central agency probe in the matter. However, on May 12 Justice Sinha gave the go-ahead for a central agency probe.

Meanwhile, West Bengal minister in-charge of municipal affairs & urban development, the nodal department in-charge of all municipal corporations and municipalities in the state, admitted of a procedural lapse where certain municipalities conducted the recruitment through an outsourced agency.
[IANS/NS]