Trinamool Congress General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee returned to Kolkata from New Delhi on Thursday and appeared before the Crime Investigation Department (CID) at Bhavani Bhawan. He arrived at Kolkata Airport at 4:20 PM and, without commenting on the allegations of forged signatures and the CID summons, went straight to his residence. He later proceeded to Bhavani Bhawan. As per the Kolkata High Court's directive, he was required to appear before the CID by 6 PM. He arrived at Bhavani Bhawan ahead of the stipulated time.
The CID had summoned Abhishek Banerjee in connection with an investigation into a case of alleged forged signatures on a resolution. The agency claims there are inconsistencies in the signatures of several legislators on the resolution. Some legislators have asserted that they were not present on the date the resolution was signed. Based on these allegations, the CID initiated an investigation.
During Thursday's hearing, the Kolkata High Court granted temporary legal protection to Abhishek Banerjee. The court stated that no stringent legal action could be taken against him for the next three weeks. However, the investigating agency can seize necessary documents and interrogate him. He has been directed to fully cooperate with the investigation. The court also instructed that a progress report on the investigation must be submitted at the next hearing.
The CID informed the court that three notices had been sent to Abhishek Banerjee, all of which had expired. The investigating agency asserted that his statement is crucial for gathering necessary information and advancing the investigation.
Meanwhile, in a separate case filed in 2021 concerning a political event in Khowai district, Tripura, the court has issued new summons to Abhishek Banerjee and several other Trinamool Congress leaders, including Kunal Ghosh, Dola Sen, and Bratya Basu. The summons have been sent to Abhishek Banerjee's Kolkata residence, directing him to appear in court on the specified date.
