Calcutta High Court Grants Interim Relief to Abhishek Banerjee in Three FIRs

Kolkata, August 25: The Calcutta High Court provided interim relief to Abhishek Banerjee, the General Secretary of the Trinamool Congress and MP from Diamond Harbour, on Tuesday. This relief pertains to three additional FIRs, protecting him from arrest and stringent police actions.

Banerjee has now secured interim protection in 11 out of the total 16 FIRs filed against him across various police stations in the state. The three FIRs, for which the single-judge bench led by Justice Sougata Bhattacharya granted relief, include one registered at the Bhawanipur police station in South Kolkata. The other two FIRs are lodged at the Kalitala and Vishnupur police stations in the Diamond Harbour police district of South 24 Parganas. This interim protection will remain in effect until November 30.

While granting this relief, Justice Bhattacharya’s bench stated that the Diamond Harbour MP must cooperate with investigators regarding these three FIRs. The judge noted that there is no need for custodial interrogation in connection with these cases.

According to the ruling, if the investigative agency issues a summons, Abhishek Banerjee is required to appear. The single bench specified that he should be notified 48 hours prior to his appearance. Should he fail to cooperate with the investigation, the state government may bring this to the court’s attention. The next hearing for the case is scheduled for November 23.

Justice Bhattacharya also ordered that copies of all FIRs registered against Abhishek Banerjee should be provided to his lawyer.

Furthermore, the court stated that Banerjee cannot travel abroad without permission. However, Justice Bhattacharya added that since the Supreme Court has already granted him permission for overseas travel for eye treatment, this order will not impede that trip.