West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday said his government has granted the CBI sanction to proceed against officials accused in corruption cases linked to recruitments in schools and civic bodies, while asserting the administration would follow a "zero-tolerance" policy towards graft.
At a press conference at the state secretariat, Nabanna, he claimed the previous dispensation had for nearly four years withheld permission for CBI to act in four cases involving senior government officials accused of corruption.
"The previous government had blocked four CBI cases for the last four years. Under the law, the CBI or an investigating agency requires sanction from the state government to file charge sheets, prosecutions, or initiate action against government officials accused of corruption," Adhikari said.
He claimed the TMC government "deliberately withheld those permissions to shield corrupt bureaucrats and officials".
"We have now granted the necessary sanction to the CBI against officials linked to corruption in three departments. Copies of the approval have already been sent to the agency," the chief minister added.
Adhikari said the approvals relate to cases concerning alleged irregularities in teacher recruitment under the education department, municipal affairs department recruitment scams and investigations linked to the cooperative department that are being monitored by courts.
He pointed out that the BJP had repeatedly promised "zero tolerance" towards corruption during the election campaign and asserted the new government has begun working on it.
Asserting that people have high expectations from the new government, Adhikari said, "We repeatedly spoke about a zero-tolerance policy towards corruption during the campaign. Action against institutional corruption was also part of our party's manifesto."
"In the coming days, people of the state will witness more such measures," he added.