Calcutta HC denies urgent hearing on Banerjee travel plea

The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday declined to grant an urgent hearing to Trinamool Congress leader and Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee, who sought permission to travel abroad for a week to undergo eye treatment. The court stated the matter would be heard in its regular turn, extending his interim protection from coercive action until July 31 in a related case.

Banerjee's application sought to modify a prior court order restricting his foreign travel without prior approval, a condition linked to an ongoing investigation. His legal counsel argued the travel was medically urgent, citing a serious eye injury sustained in a road accident in October 2016. Following the accident, which caused an orbital fracture, Banerjee has undergone multiple treatments both in India and overseas.

The court's decision comes as Banerjee faces multiple legal probes. The West Bengal Police's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has questioned him for hours over three days since June 11 regarding two matters. The first involves allegations of forging signatures of party MLAs on a resolution concerning the selection of the Leader of Opposition in the state assembly. The second pertains to a...