Kolkata, August 5: The Kolkata High Court will hear the petition of Abhishek Banerjee, the General Secretary of the Trinamool Congress and Lok Sabha MP, seeking permission to travel abroad for eye treatment.
Last month, the court had rejected Banerjee’s request for overseas travel for medical reasons. The court advised him to consult with specialists at the SSKM Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata first.
Justice Sougata Bhattacharya stated that the court would make a decision only after reviewing the medical report from SSKM Hospital.
Following this, Banerjee approached the Supreme Court for the same permission. However, last week, a three-member bench of the Supreme Court, comprising Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice Venkata Subramoniam Mohan, sent the case back to the Kolkata High Court.
The Supreme Court also instructed the Kolkata High Court to make a decision within seven days. In line with this directive, Justice Bhattacharya has scheduled the hearing for Wednesday at 11 AM.
It is noteworthy that during the previous hearing on July 20, Justice Bhattacharya questioned whether Banerjee had consulted an ophthalmologist.
On the same day, Justice Bhattacharya granted Banerjee interim relief from any harsh police action, including arrest, in a separate case involving alleged hate speech. He has been accused of inciting violence during a rally before the recently concluded West Bengal assembly elections and threatening Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Additionally, Justice Bhattacharya instructed Banerjee to cooperate with the police investigation and urged the state’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to complete the inquiry as soon as possible.
It is important to mention that in October 2016, Banerjee was involved in a road accident while returning to Kolkata from a party event in Murshidabad, resulting in severe eye injuries. Initially, he received treatment in several hospitals across the country and later traveled abroad for better care.
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