Abhishek Banerjee gets Calcutta HC nod to challenge CID case on alleged signature forgery

The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday granted TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee permission to file a petition seeking protection from any coercive action by the state CID over its probe into alleged forgery of TMC MLAs' signatures. The CID is conducting the probe on the basis of a complaint by two legislators to the Assembly Secretariat that their signatures in the TMC's resolution for appointing Ballygunge MLA Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as the leader of opposition were forged. The Assembly Secretariat filed an FIR with the Kolkata Police over the complaint by the MLAs -- Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha -- and the probe was later transferred to the CID by the state's home secretary. The legislators were later expelled from the TMC for "anti-party activities".

On a verbal prayer by Abhishek Banerjee's lawyers, a vacation bench of Justice Apurba Sinha Ray granted permission to file the petition challenging the FIR and seeking an interim protection from any coercive action. Banerjee's lawyers said the matter is likely to be heard on Friday. The TMC national general secretary was attacked when he visited the house of an alleged post-poll violence victim at Sonarpur town in South 24 Parganas district on Saturday. Banerjee was summoned by the CID in connection with the alleged signature forgery case on Monday, but he did not appear before the agency, citing ill health, and sought an extension of time. In a fresh notice, the CID asked Banerjee to appear before the investigating officer on June 8.