Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee has secured interim protection from coercive action for three weeks from the Calcutta High Court in connection with a case of alleged forged signatures involving legislators of the party.
Justice Kausik Chanda directed Banerjee to cooperate fully with the investigation and appear before the CID following his return from Delhi, providing him with a temporary shield as the court ruled that no coercive action will be taken against him for the next two weeks, NDTV reported.
Initially, the TMC MP had approached the High Court challenging both the FIR registered in the case and multiple summons issued by the CID, arguing that he had no connection to the alleged forgery and seeking protection until the matter is adjudicated.
"This court is of the view that for securing documents, the investigating agency is at liberty to do search and seizure as per law," the Bench observed. However, the court explicitly ruled that "the agency shall not take coercive steps [against Banerjee] for two weeks", adding that a mandatory 24-hour notice must be provided if further interrogation is deemed necessary.
The crisis was triggered by allegations that signatures of several TMC legislators were forged on an official party resolution submitted to the West Bengal Legislative Assembly Secretariat. The document reportedly related to the appointment of Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as Leader of the Opposition and issues concerning the selection process for key legislative positions, including the Chief Whip.
The complaint was filed by rebel TMC legislators, including Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha, who alleged that the signatures of multiple lawmakers had been fabricated and used without their consent. Following the complaint, an FIR was registered, prompting the CID to launch a formal investigation.
The two whistleblowers were removed from the TMC just minutes after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari went public with their identities. The leadership officially cited "anti-party activities" as the grounds for their immediate ouster.
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