The arrest of West Bengal Minister Jyoti Priya Mallick by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on October 27 over an alleged public distribution system (PDS) scam has sparked a political row and raised questions on what the irregularities are.
The ED, in a prosecution complaint filed before a court in Kolkata, mentions cash transactions worth crores of rupees into the accounts of family members of the arrested Minister, three fake companies and a “maroon colour diary” with details of financial transactions with the Minister. “It is worth mentioning that as per the election affidavit of Sh. Jyoti Priya Mallick for WB Assembly Elections, 2016, filed on 04.04.2016, he declared that cash in hand for spouse was ₹45,000. However, within span of one year, a total cash of ₹6 crore was deposited in her bank account,” the ED complaint said.
