Abhishek Banerjee moves Calcutta HC seeking protection from CID arrest

Trinamool Congress National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee has approached the Calcutta High Court seeking protection from any possible arrest by the Criminal Investigation Department in connection with the ongoing Assembly signature controversy. Justice Apurba Sinha Ray has permitted the filing of the petition, and the matter is likely to be heard on Friday. Banerjee has requested protection from coercive action while the investigation and court proceedings continue.

The case relates to a letter submitted by the Trinamool Legislature Party to the Assembly proposing Shovandeb Chattopadhyay as Leader of the Opposition. The document also reportedly proposed Asima Patra and Nayana Bandyopadhyay as deputy leaders and Firhad Hakim as Chief Whip. Allegations later emerged regarding discrepancies in the signatures of several MLAs whose names appeared on the letter.

Following the allegations, the state government transferred the investigation to the CID. As the party’s national general secretary, Abhishek Banerjee’s signature was also present on the document under scrutiny. Investigators are examining claims that the letter contained the names of around 70 MLAs, with at least 14 names reportedly appearing in block letters without signatures, while several other signatures allegedly showed inconsistencies.

Last Saturday, CID officers visited Banerjee’s residence and served him a notice directing him to appear before investigators at Bhawani Bhavan on Monday. He did not appear at the scheduled time and reportedly sought additional time from the investigating agency. On Wednesday, he challenged the CID notice before the High Court and sought legal protection against any arrest or coercive measures during the course of the investigation.

The controversy gained momentum after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari stated at a press conference that Trinamool MLAs Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha had submitted complaints to Assembly Speaker Rathindra Bose regarding the signatures on the document. Both legislators were subsequently expelled from the party. Trinamool legislators are also expected to hold a meeting in the Assembly regarding the Opposition leadership issue as the investigation continues.