Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee has secured an additional month of protection from coercive action in an ongoing signature forgery case, following a ruling by the Calcutta High Court on Friday.
Justice Kausik Chanda extended the interim relief, which shields the Diamond Harbour MP from arrest or other forceful measures by law enforcement. Under the terms of the court’s instructions, Banerjee must continue to cooperate with the state’s Criminal Investigation Department as required, provided investigators give him a 24-hour advance notice.
Origins Of The Forgery Dispute
The legal dispute centers on a complaint lodged with the West Bengal assembly secretariat by two dissident Trinamool Congress legislators, Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha. The MLAs alleged that their signatures were forged on a party resolution designated to appoint Ballygunge MLA Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as the leader of the opposition in the state assembly.
Initially, the assembly secretariat filed a First Information Report with the Kolkata Police regarding the matter. The probe was subsequently reassigned to the state’s CID by the West Bengal Home Secretary.
Prior Compliance And Summonses
Banerjee was first granted conditional protection from coercive action by the High Court on June 11 for a period of three weeks, which was later extended by another fortnight. Pursuant to that June 11 order, Banerjee appeared at Bhabani Bhaban, the CID headquarters in Kolkata, for questioning.
Before the High Court intervened in June, the state’s legal counsel noted that the CID had summoned the MP on three separate occasions. Banerjee did not attend those earlier sessions, citing various reasons for his absence.
