signature-forgery-case-hc-grants-1-month-protection-to-banerjee

The Calcutta High Court on Friday granted interim relief to Trinamool Congress (TMC) National General Secretary and MP Abhishek Banerjee in connection with the alleged forgery of signatures in the State Legislative Assembly, directing that no coercive action be taken against him for one month.

 

The order was passed by Justice Kaushik Chanda, who also issued a notice to the state government on a plea seeking to quash the FIR registered against Banerjee. The Court has asked the state to clarify its position before the next hearing, scheduled for next week.

 

The case originates from a controversy surrounding the selection of the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly. A letter was submitted to the Speaker on behalf of the TMC nominating Sovandeb Chattopadhyay for the post. However, allegations later surfaced that signatures of several MLAs on the letter had been forged. The document also carried Abhishek Banerjee’s signature in his capacity as the party’s General Secretary, leading to a complaint and the subsequent registration of an FIR.

 

The investigation was later transferred to the state CID, which questioned Banerjee multiple times and issued notices in connection with the probe. He had earlier approached the High Court challenging those notices and was granted interim protection. In the present plea, he has sought to quash the FIR itself.

 

The controversy was triggered by complaints from two TMC MLAs, Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha, who alleged that their signatures had been forged on the letter submitted to the Speaker. Following their complaint, a fresh letter was submitted, on the basis of which Speaker Rathindra Basu recognised Ritabrata as the Leader of the Opposition.

 

Meanwhile, the Speaker’s decision has also come under judicial scrutiny. Sovandeb has filed a separate petition challenging the move, which is currently being heard by a bench led by Justice Shampa Sarkar. The Court has already raised questions regarding the decision-making process.

 

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