A plea by Trinamool Congress’ General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee for a quick hearing on his petition seeking exemption from providing a voice sample to the CID of West Bengal Police was dismissed by a single-judge Bench of the Calcutta High Court. The CID aims to obtain Banerjee’s voice samples in a case where he is accused of making inflammatory statements and threatening Union Home Minister Amit Shah during a campaign rally before the recent Assembly polls.
Earlier, on June 30, Justice Tirthankar Ghosh of the Calcutta High Court refused to entertain a similar plea by Abhishek Banerjee, who is also the nephew of former West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee. Justice Ghosh emphasized that the court cannot dictate the manner in which any investigative agency conducts its inquiries.
Following Justice Ghosh’s recusal from the case, Abhishek Banerjee’s counsel sought a fast-track hearing before Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya. However, the request was declined, with Justice Bhattacharyya stating that the matter could not be heard before July 7 under any circumstances.
Despite the rejection of the plea for a speedy hearing, a district court in North 24 Parganas, West Bengal, issued a second notice to Abhishek Banerjee on July 1. The notice requires Banerjee to appear at the court by 10 A.M. on July 8 for the CID to collect his voice samples in the presence of a Judicial Magistrate and forensic experts.
The upcoming hearing on July 7 before Justice Bhattacharyya will determine whether Abhishek Banerjee will be granted exemption from providing voice samples, just a day before his scheduled appearance at the district court. Banerjee currently holds interim protection against coercive police actions, including arrest, as directed by Justice Bhattacharyya’s Bench. However, the court has instructed Banerjee to cooperate fully with the CID and mandated the agency to report any lack of cooperation by the Trinamool Congress General Secretary.
