Kolkata, May 21: Abhishek Banerjee, a Member of Parliament from the Trinamool Congress, has received significant relief regarding an FIR filed against him for alleged comments about Union Home Minister Amit Shah. On Thursday, the Calcutta High Court granted him protection by preventing the West Bengal police from taking any punitive action against him until July 31.
During the hearing, Justice Sougata Bhattacharya stated that this interim protection is conditional on Banerjee cooperating with the police investigation.
The court also mandated that Banerjee cannot travel abroad without prior permission and must provide a 48-hour notice to the investigating officer before any movement.
This interim order was issued in response to Banerjee’s petition, where he sought the dismissal of a criminal case filed against him concerning remarks made during election rallies ahead of the recent West Bengal Assembly elections.
The complainant accused the TMC MP of making incendiary speeches targeting opposition party workers and threatening Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Senior Advocate Kalyan Bandyopadhyay represented Banerjee in court, arguing that the case against his client is malicious. He stated, “This is a case of malicious prosecution following a change in power.”
However, the court criticized Banerjee’s comments, emphasizing that he should not have made such controversial statements.
Senior Advocate Bilwadal Bhattacharya represented the complainant, while Senior Advocate Dheeraj Trivedi appeared for the state government. The next hearing in this matter is scheduled for July 30.
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