A plea by Abhishek Banerjee, Trinamool Congress general secretary and Lok Sabha member, for a fast-track hearing on his petition to travel abroad for ophthalmic treatment was rejected by a single-judge bench of the Calcutta High Court. Banerjee, nephew of former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, had moved the petition before Justice Saugata Bhattacharya.
The bench stated that there was no justification for expediting the hearing and mentioned that the matter would proceed in due course. Previously, Abhishek Banerjee had faced questioning by the West Bengal Police’s Criminal Investigation Department in connection with the MLA signature mismatch case, following an order from another single-judge bench of the High Court.
Justice Kaushik Chanda had earlier granted Banerjee interim protection from police action with a condition barring his overseas travel without court consent. Seeking permission for foreign treatment and a speedy hearing, Banerjee approached Justice Bhattacharya’s bench, which admitted the travel plea but rejected the request for an accelerated hearing.
Abhishek Banerjee had sustained eye injuries in a 2016 accident and had since been exploring treatment options abroad after initial treatment in India.
