In a major legal relief for Trinamool Congress All India General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee, the Calcutta High Court extended his interim protection from coercive action till November 30. The order was passed by a single-judge bench of Justice Kausik Chanda while hearing a case related to the alleged forgery of Trinamool Congress MLAs' signatures in the Assembly registry. Expressing dissatisfaction with the probe report submitted by the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) that held Banerjee guilty, the court noted that the agency could continue its investigation without imposing restrictive measures against him.
The controversy originated shortly after the assembly election results, when allegations surfaced that signatures of several absent Trinamool MLAs were forged in the Assembly's resolution register book during a party meeting. The CID claimed during the hearing that out of 70 signatories, five signatures sent for forensic examination were found to be forged. However, Justice Chanda questioned the agency on the timeline of the investigation and asked what specific role Abhishek Banerjee played in forging the documents, remarking that attending or forwarding a resolution does not automatically establish direct involvement in forgery.
During the proceedings, Banerjee's counsel, Sabyasachi Banerjee, argued that his client is the party’s All India General Secretary and not an MLA, clarifying that he was not present when the signatures were placed. The defense maintained that as General Secretary, Banerjee merely forwarded the resolution to the Speaker after documents were verified by party colleague Firhad Hakim. Taking note of the arguments, Justice Chanda reprimanded the CID, stating that no one had tied their hands and that they were free to continue investigating further, while extending Banerjee’s interim protection.