The Calcutta High Court on Friday scheduled a June 10 hearing for Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee’s petition seeking protection from any coercive actions by the state Criminal Investigation Department.
A vacation bench of Justice Chaital Chatterjee (Das) directed that the matter be placed before the designated regular bench following the conclusion of the court’s summer recess. The decision followed an urgent appeal by Banerjee’s legal representatives on Friday morning.
Origin of Forgery Investigation
The state Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is currently investigating allegations concerning the forgery of signatures belonging to two rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) legislators. The dispute involves a party resolution that appointed Ballygunge MLA Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as the leader of the opposition.
Two rebel lawmakers, Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha, initiated the complaint with the Assembly Secretariat. Following their allegations, the secretariat filed a formal first information report (FIR) with the Kolkata Police. The investigation was subsequently reassigned to the CID by order of the state’s home secretary.
Summons and Mob Attack Incident
The CID recently issued a new notice ordering Banerjee to present himself before the investigating officer on June 8. This follows an earlier summons for Monday, which Banerjee did not attend after citing ill-health and requesting additional time.
Banerjee, who holds the second-highest position in the TMC leadership, was treated at two private medical facilities on June 30 but was not admitted. The medical treatment followed an incident in Sonarpur, South 24 Parganas district, where a crowd targeted Banerjee while he was visiting the residence of an individual reported to be a victim of post-poll violence.
