Calcutta High Court declined Lok Sabha member Abhishek Banerjee’s request for exemption from providing voice samples to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). Abhishek is accused of making violence-inciting statements and threatening Union Home Minister Amit Shah at a campaign rally. The CID had been directed by a district court in North 24 Parganas district to collect his voice samples.
Abhishek was scheduled to present himself at the district court to provide his voice samples in the presence of a judicial magistrate and forensic experts. Despite challenging the CID’s move in the High Court, Abhishek’s plea was not entertained by Justice Trithankar Ghosh. The court had earlier granted Abhishek interim protection from coercive police action in the main case.
Justice Ghosh emphasized that since Abhishek already had protection from arrest in the main case, there was no need for additional protection regarding the submission of voice samples. He also stated that the court could not dictate the investigative agency’s line of inquiry. Consequently, the matter was referred to Acting Chief Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty for reassignment to a new bench for further proceedings.
