HC grants conditional relief to Abhishek Banerjee till July 31, judge furious over "Delhi's father" remark

The Calcutta High Court on Thursday issued a severe reprimand to Abhishek Banerjee while binding him to strict judicial conditions regarding an ongoing criminal investigation. A single-judge bench presided over by Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya ruled that the three-time Member of Parliament cannot leave the country without explicit prior permission from the court. The legal dispute stems from a highly controversial and inflammatory campaign speech where Banerjee, without directly naming him, targeted Amit Shah, provocatively questioning which "Delhi father" would save him after the election results are declared.

While the High Court rejected Banerjee's petition to completely quash the police case filed against him, it extended his interim protective cover against coercive actions, such as arrest, until July 31 or until further judicial orders. The court additionally instructed the state police that if investigators wish to summon or question the high-profile politician, they must serve a formal legal notice at least 48 hours in advance. However, the bench made it absolutely mandatory for the TMC leader to fully cooperate with the investigating authorities, rejecting any attempts by his legal team to bypass standard criminal procedures.

During the heated hearing, Banerjee's defense counsel, senior advocate Kalyan Banerjee, strongly pleaded with the bench to allow his client to appear virtually before investigators, arguing that physical summons would be used as a tool for political harassment. Justice Bhattacharyya flatly rejected the plea, stating that special exemptions cannot be manufactured outside the established rule of law. The Justice expressed deep anxiety over the rhetoric used by a national political figure, asking what the societal repercussions would have been had the election results swung differently, and noting that Bengal's political history does not reflect a peaceful track record.

The courtroom exchange took a sharp political turn when Kalyan Banerjee defended the regional electorate's choices, stating that the public voted for peace and betterment during the historic 2011 regime shift and did so again in the recent 2026 assembly elections. Justice Bhattacharyya cryptically countered the defense counsel's statement by noting that "only time will tell" whether the latest political transition yields positive results. The court concluded the day's proceedings by reiterating that no citizen, regardless of their parliamentary stature or executive influence, is above standard statutory investigations.