Calcutta HC dismisses Bengal edu min daughter's job, asks her to return salary
Kolkata(PTI): Calcutta High Court on Friday dismissed the employment of a West Bengal minister's daughter in a government-aided school and asked her to return the salary she had drawn during her 41-month tenure as a teacher.
The single bench of Justice Avijit Gangopadhyay directed Minister of State for Education Paresh Chandra Adhikari's daughter Ankita to deposit the salary paid to her since November 2018 in two instalments with the registrar general of the high court.
It ordered that Ankita Adhikari should not be treated as a teacher recommended by the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) and appointed by the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education.
It also barred her from entering the school premises till further orders. She has to pay the first instalment by June 7 and the second by July 7 this year.
The high court was hearing a petition filed by a candidate who claimed that she was deprived of the position despite having secured higher marks than Adhikari's daughter in the recruitment examination. The petitioner had claimed that she had secured 77 marks and Ankita Adhikari only 61.
The high court had ordered a CBI probe into the appointment. The court ordered that Adhikari's post will remain vacant and shall be earmarked for the petitioner.
Earlier in the day, the minister reached the CBI office here for interrogation over his daughter's alleged illegal appointment.
The central agency had on Thursday filed an FIR against Adhikari after he failed to meet the deadline set by the high court for appearance before its sleuths in connection with the case.
Adhikari, along with his daughter, was booked under IPC sections 420 (cheating and dishonesty) and 120B (criminal conspiracy), besides sections under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
