A single-judge bench of the Calcutta High Court has instructed the West Bengal Police to submit an affidavit within four weeks regarding the raid and search operations at the residence of Trinamool Congress general secretary and Lok Sabha member, Abhishek Banerjee, in South Kolkata. The court also mandated the preservation of all CCTV footage and audio-visual records related to the incident.
Furthermore, the court directed the petitioner to file a counter-affidavit within two weeks after the police submit their affidavit. The raid, conducted in the early hours of June 13 by a joint team from various police forces, was aimed at locating Banerjee’s executive assistant, Sumit Roy, who is currently missing.
The search operation, which took place at 3 a.m., has faced legal challenge with accusations of police overreach. The petitioner alleged that the raid was conducted without a search warrant and criticized the authorities for their actions. In response, the state’s Additional Advocate General stated that the search was necessary to prevent Roy from fleeing.
