TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee urged the Calcutta High Court Bar Association to intervene after a CID officer allegedly called him seeking permission to interrogate him in a criminal case. Banerjee claimed the move threatened his professional independence and the sanctity of legal practice.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kalyan Banerjee formally petitioned the Calcutta High Court Bar Association to intervene after what he claims was a disruptive phone call from a Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officer allegedly intended to compromise his professional independence and violate the sanctity of his legal practice.
In a letter made public on Thursday, Banerjee described an incident in which a caller identifying himself as a CID officer reached out to him on his mobile phone and sought permission” to interrogate him in connection with a pending forgery case.
He wrote on X,
“Today, a few minutes back, one 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,”
Banerjee added that he is currently representing TMC leader Sovandeb Chatterjee in a writ petition (WPO 276 of 2026), challenging the Speaker’s decision to recognise rebel MLA Ritabrata Banerjee as the Opposition Leader.
He further said that an FIR registered at Hare Street Police Station was subsequently transferred to the CID after allegations raised by some MLAs that signatures on the party’s resolution nominating Chatterjee as the Leader of Opposition (LoP) were forged.
According to Banerjee, the matter relates to a complaint concerning alleged irregularities in a resolution submitted to the West Bengal Legislative Assembly regarding the appointment of Sovandeb Chatterjee as Leader of Opposition, with Asima Patra and Nayna Bandyopadhyay as Deputy Leaders of Opposition, and Firhad Hakim as Chief Whip.
Banerjee also pointed to the impropriety of police contact while he remains counsel in the same matter under investigation.
Urging the Bar Association to take steps to protect the dignity, respect, and privilege of an Advocate., he questioned,
“How can the police interrogate a Senior Advocate who is arguing a matter in connection with a criminal case?”
The development follows reports that 58 TMC MLAs have already formed a separate faction within the West Bengal Assembly, where Ritabrata Banerjee has been recognised as Leader of Opposition by Speaker Rathindra Bose.