Arpita Mukherjee, the close aide of Former State Education Minister Partha Chatterjee, has practically applied to become a witness in the case related to corruption allegations in the SSC or School Service Commission, the ED said in the charge sheet.

In the chargesheet presented in the special CBI court on Monday, the ED investigators also said that Arpita wanted to adopt a child. Partha assured him of help in that regard.

In the charge sheet, ED investigators claimed that after the death of Partha’s wife Babli Chatterjee, her shares in various companies were transferred in the name of Arpita.

Arpita said in a written statement that an accountant close to Partha pressured her to take up the shares. The accountant told him, ‘Partha’s daughter is abroad. Those shares will be returned to her name when she returns to Kolkata. For now, it is being handed over in the name of Arpita.”

The ED claimed that a recommendation letter for child adoption was found in Arpita’s Diamond City flat. Partha has also signed on that letter of recommendation. Partha gave a ‘No Objection Certificate’ in Arpita’s adoption.

Partha’s statement in the face of interrogation by the investigators about this adpotion, is that he is a public representative. It is natural for him to sign someone’s letter of recommendation. According to a section of lawyers, Arpita has no children as she is not married. That may be the reason why she made that recommendation letter to fulfill her desire to adopt a child and become a mother.

Arpita gave a written statement while in jail that about Rs.49.80 crore in cash and Rs.5 crore worth of jewelry found in her Diamond City and Belgharia flats belonged to Partha Chatterjee. Referring to it in the charge sheet, ED said that currency of Nepal, Thailand, Bangladesh, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia and America were also found in Arpita’s flat. In the cross-examination, the accused claims that the money or jewelery does not belong to her. At different times some people left the money.

In the charge sheet, ED said, Partha used to deposit the annual premium of 31 life insurance policies in the name of Arpita, which is about one and a half crore rupees. After the forensic examination of the former minister’s mobile phone, the issue of payment of life insurance premium was revealed. In the charge sheet, the name of the ousted president of the Board of Primary Education Manik Bhattacharya has also been mentioned in the SSC case.

According to the investigators, an information found in Partha’s mobile phone messages revealed that Manik had withdrawn the money in any way. Manik has been repeatedly questioned by ED. While in their custody, he was also questioned in front of Partha. Despite repeated attempts, Manik’s statement on this issue was not known.