Former West Bengal education minister Partha Chatterjee was released from jail after being granted bail in the school jobs scam case. He commented on his suspension from the TMC and described his relationship with Arpita Mukherjee as a friendship. Chatterjee said his loyalty led to his downfall.
A special CBI court granted bail to Partha Chatterjee on November 10, 2025, and he was released from jail on November 11. After nearly three years and three months in custody, Chatterjee said in a TV interview, 'My loyalty became my punishment.' He described himself as a TMC soldier despite his suspension from the party. Chatterjee stated, 'Everyone says I am suspended from the party, but I did not receive any letter. If the party is not with me, I am with the party. TMC is my party.'
Referring to Mamata Banerjee as his leader, he said, 'I have followed Mamata Didi all my life. When the party was in crisis, Didi fought outside, I inside.' He called Abhishek Banerjee the future of TMC. As the MLA from Behala West, Chatterjee said, 'First, I will recover my health, then meet the people of Behala West.'
On his relationship with Arpita Mukherjee, Chatterjee candidly said, 'Yes, Arpita is my friend. What's wrong with that? My wife passed away years ago, can't I have a friend? If a man can have two wives, why can't I have one friend?' Cash worth 50 crore rupees was recovered from Arpita's flat during the investigation, but Chatterjee said, 'That money was not mine.'
Becoming emotional about his arrest on July 23, 2022, by the ED, he said, 'My loyalty caused my downfall.' Chatterjee compared himself to Bhishma Pitamah and said betrayal had occurred. Defending his tenure as education minister, he claimed that under Mamata Banerjee's leadership, 51 universities and 8,000 schools were built, with improvements in student attendance, scholarships, and infrastructure. The trial in the SSC recruitment scam continues, with the next hearing expected by the end of this month.