Jailed TMC MLA Manik Bhattacharya has withdrawn from the Supreme Court his bail plea in a case related to alleged irregularities in the recruitment of primary school teachers in West Bengal. A bench comprising justices Bela M Trivedi and Pankaj Mithal allowed Bhattacharya to file a fresh plea with some additional documents before the High Court. The ED alleged the Palashipara MLA was not cooperating with the investigation. On December 15, 2023, the top court had issued a notice to the ED on Bhattacharya’s appeal against a November 16 Calcutta High Court order rejecting his bail application. The top court had on February 16 granted bail to Bhattacharya’s son Souvik in a money laundering case related to the case.