TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee moves Bar body as CID seeks to question him in forgery case

Claiming that he was called by a CID officer to seek permission for questioning him in connection with the TMC MLAs' signature forgery case, party MP and advocate Kalyan Banerjee on Thursday wondered how police can interrogate a lawyer in connection with the matter in which he represented a petitioner. In a letter to the secretary of the Calcutta High Court Bar Association, Banerjee said he is representing Trinamool Congress MLA Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay in a petition challenging the Speaker's recognition of the Leader of Opposition. "In the writ petition, minutes of the resolution of All India Trinamool Congress regarding appointment of Opposition Leader was annexed," Banerjee said in the letter, the contents of which he posted on X.

The Lok Sabha MP stated that on an allegation by an MLA to the Secretary of the state Legislative Assembly that the signatures of a few MLAs regarding the appointment of the Leader of Opposition were forged, a complaint was lodged at Hare Street police station in Kolkata, and subsequently, the investigation was handed over to the state CID. The senior advocate stated that he had earlier appeared before the high court in a petition by TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee challenging a notice by the CID in connection with the signature forgery case. "Today, a few minutes back one Sri Partha Bhattacharjee, claiming himself to be the officer of CID, called me on my mobile and sought my permission to interrogate me in connection with the said criminal case," Kalyan Banerjee stated in the letter to the Bar Association secretary. "How can the police interrogate a senior advocate who is arguing a matter in connection with a criminal case? Being a senior advocate and a member of the Bar Association, I bring it to your notice for necessary action, if you deem fit and proper to protect dignity, respect and privilege of an advocate," the TMC MP wrote.

TMC legislators on May 6 met at party supremo Mamata Banerjee’s Kalighat residence and proposed the name of Sovandeb Chattopadhyay for the post of Leader of the Opposition. Legislators present at the meeting reportedly expressed support by a show of hands. The formal proposal, however, was not immediately submitted to the Assembly. Following the swearing-in of TMC MLAs on May 13 and 14, the Assembly Secretariat sought a resolution from the party naming its nominee for the post.

A fresh meeting was held on May 19, following which a document carrying signatures of 70 legislators in support of Chattopadhyay was submitted to the Assembly. Questions were subsequently raised after discrepancies were allegedly noticed between signatures appearing on different documents submitted by TMC MLAs. The matter eventually led to the registration of an FIR and a CID probe. The state probe has already questioned several legislators in connection with the case.