Abhishek Banerjee, General Secretary of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), on Monday skipped a summons issued by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in connection with the alleged ‘signature scandal’ case, marking his second consecutive absence from questioning. Banerjee, who is currently in New Delhi to attend a meeting of the INDIA alliance, wrote to the CID seeking additional time to appear before investigators. Despite the earlier extended deadline having expired, he did not present himself for interrogation.
The controversy traces its origins to the election process for the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly. Two dissident TMC MLAs, Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha, had flagged significant discrepancies in the signatures of party legislators. Acting on their complaint, the Assembly Secretary lodged an FIR, prompting the CID to investigate.
As part of the probe, notices have been issued to several ruling party MLAs, including Banerjee, who was first summoned on May 30. On the same day, he reportedly faced public protests while travelling to Sonarpur to visit the residence of a deceased party worker.
Subsequently, citing illness, Banerjee skipped his initial appearance before the CID on June 1 and sought a 15-day extension. Investigators, however, granted only a seven-day extension, which lapsed on Monday.
Meanwhile, Banerjee has approached the Calcutta High Court seeking protection from arrest in the case. His plea for an urgent hearing was declined by Justice Chaitali Chatterjee Das, who scheduled the matter for hearing on June 10.
In his latest communication to the CID, Banerjee cited the sub judice nature of the case and his presence in the national capital as reasons for his inability to appear before investigators on the scheduled date.
The development adds a fresh layer of political tension in West Bengal, as the investigation into the alleged irregularities continues to unfold.