A single-judge Bench of the Calcutta High Court dismissed a plea by Trinamool Congress General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee, seeking protection from coercive police action in eight FIRs against him in West Bengal. The Bench, presided over by Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya, stated that granting overall interim protection was not feasible. The next hearing is scheduled for July 30, with the court open to addressing any coercive police actions during the interim period.
Abhishek’s counsel, Kapil Sibal, argued that the FIRs were politically motivated and scattered across different police stations in the state. Sibal contended that his client deserved protection akin to what Suvendu Adhikari had received previously. However, the Additional Solicitor General, S.V. Raju, opposed the plea, suggesting that protections should be considered on a case-by-case basis, not universally across all FIRs.
Sibal referenced a past instance involving Suvendu Adhikari, where the court had granted him comprehensive protection. Justice Bhattacharyya, however, cautioned against drawing parallels and emphasized the need to hear all parties involved before deciding on universal protection. Consequently, the court set July 30 for the next hearing in the case.
