Calcutta HC questions Abhishek Banerjee's non-cooperation in DJ comment case; orders to provide voice samples

Legal pressure intensified on Trinamool Congress national general secretary and Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee on Tuesday as the Calcutta High Court questioned his reluctance to provide voice samples in a Criminal Investigation Department (CID) probe. The case involves alleged inflammatory remarks and threats against Union Home Minister Amit Shah during a campaign rally ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections. Banerjee’s counsel sought an urgent hearing before Justice Saugata Bhattacharya to challenge a Bidhannagar court order directing him to furnish samples, but the judge declined and emphasised the need for full cooperation.

The High Court had earlier granted Banerjee interim protection from coercive action, including arrest, with a condition of full cooperation with investigators. Justice Bhattacharya orally observed that since protection was already in place, Banerjee should submit his voice samples without delay for forensic analysis to verify the authenticity of the speech in the video evidence. The state government argued that his refusal reflected a lack of cooperation and was essential to complete the probe.

Banerjee is scheduled to appear before the Bidhannagar Court on Wednesday for the voice sample collection in the presence of a judicial magistrate and forensic experts. His counsel contended that providing samples was unnecessary as he had already acknowledged the voice in the video as his. The state’s Additional Advocate General countered that forensic verification was required. The court fixed July 10 as the next hearing date for the petition challenging the lower court’s directive.