Deputy Solicitor General tasked by Calcutta High Court to inspect school says school tried to bribe him

Deputy Solicitor General (DSG) of India Billawadal Bhattacharyya, who was appointed by the Calcutta high Court to inspect a school after its affiliation was suspended, on Thursday alleged that there were attempts by the school officials to bribe him [Swarup Poddar & Ors V Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations & Ors].The DSG had been appointed as a special officer to inspect the Kolkata-based St. Augustine’s Day School, after its affiliation was suspended by the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE)..After he informed the Court that there was an attempt to bribe him in the matter, Justice Biswajit Basu cautioned that he would initiate criminal proceedings against the persons who made the attempt.“I will start criminal proceedings against those persons,” said Justice Basu.At least 76 students from Class X of the school had approached the Court against the school’s failure to get them registered with the CISCE due to a suspension of its affiliation. The Court on September 13 had pulled up the school for continuing to collect the registration fees from students even after discontinuation of its affiliation in September 2022. Taking note of the fact that there are three hundred students in Class X of the school, the Court had appointed DSG Bhattacharyya to visit the school “to ascertain the exact number and particulars of the bona fide students of Class X.”.When the matter was heard on Thursday, DSG Bhattacharyya informed the Court about his visit to the school and also mentioned that there were attempts to influence him. When the Court asked whether the attempt was by the school, Bhattacharyya said: “Must be… forgetting the fact that lawyers are not up for sale.”The Court said, “That shows they want to hide something!” Bhattacharyya agreed and said he did not even have a drop of water from the school.”That is why I was very extra cautious, I didn’t accept even a drop of water from 4:45 till 9 O’ clock when I left," the DSG submitted.The Court asked Bhattacharyya to specify the names of persons who approached him and place it in a sealed cover. The DSG said he has saved screenshot of the phone call he had received.“He has approached the court to bribe. Therefore, the consequences one has to face,” Justice Basu said..Senior Advocate Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, who had been representing the school, at this stage sought permission to withdraw from the case when the Court informed him that there was an attempt by the school to “bribe” the special officer.After a eventful hearing for nearly two hours, the Court asked the counsel representing the petitioners to produce relevant documents before the special officer to show whether the students "are the bona fide students of the school."The matter will be heard next on October 4. Senior Advocate Kalyan Kumar Bandyopadhyay along with Advocates Promiti Bandopadhyay and Rahul Kumar Singh represented the petitioners.Advocate Sanjay Kumar Baid appeared for the CISCE.Senior Advocate Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya and advocates Chama Mookherji, Debjit Mukherjee and Anujit Mookherjee represented St. Augustine’s Day School..[Read Order]