The Calcutta High Court granted Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee interim protection from arrest for three weeks in the signature forgery case. The Court directed him to cooperate with investigators and appear before police, while restraining coercive action during the protection period.
The Calcutta High Court granted Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee interim protection from arrest for three weeks in connection with the signature forgery case.
Justice Kaushik Chandra directed Abhishek Banerjee Trinamool’s second-in-command, after party chief and former chief minister Mamata Banerjee to cooperate with the investigation.
He was ordered to appear before the police at its city office at 6:00 pm on Thursday, after returning from Delhi. Until then, the court said no coercive action would be taken against the Lok Sabha MP.
“This court is of the view that for securing documents the investigating agency is at liberty to do search and seizure as per law… (but) the agency shall not take coercive steps (against Banerjee) for two weeks. If further interrogation is required the agency will give 24-hour notice.”
The court added, and then posted the matter for hearing after two weeks,
“The petitioner shall cooperate with the agency (and) the agency is at liberty to interrogate him, for which the petitioner shall meet the agency as and when required,”
The dispute began after a proposal seeking recognition of Trinamool’s Sovandeb Chattopadhyay as Leader of Opposition was alleged to have included forged signatures of other MLAs.
A group of Trinamool MLAs Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha complained that the resolution was manufactured and fabricated, and they red-flagged 14 of the 70 signatures. Based on the allegations, a police case was registered and the CID launched an investigation, which included searches at Mamata Banerjee’s residence and Abhishek Banerjee’s office.
The Trinamool later expelled both MLAs from the party, citing alleged anti-party activities minutes after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari disclosed their names.
Following defeat in the May 4 election when Trinamool was removed from power for the first time in 15 years the party has faced further internal turmoil.
The loss to Bharatiya Janata Party has intensified internal rifts, with reports that at least 19 out of its 28 MPs have indicated plans to break away and join the BJP-led coalition government.