Calcutta High Court Issues Interim Order on TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee's FIRs

The Calcutta High Court instructed police officials on Thursday to refrain from taking any stringent actions against Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Abhishek Banerjee until the next hearing scheduled for August 6. This directive was issued by a single bench led by Justice Sougata Bhattacharya, concerning three FIRs filed at Bhawanipur Police Station (Case No. 121), Kalitala Police Station (Case No. 140), and Bishnupur Police Station (Case No. 668). The court also mandated that police provide a comprehensive list of all FIRs registered against Banerjee thus far.

During the proceedings, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, representing the state, contended that the petition was not maintainable and that blanket protection could not be granted to the petitioner. He emphasized that separate petitions would be necessary for each FIR. On behalf of Banerjee, lawyer Shankar Narayan argued that multiple complaints and FIRs had been filed against his client, some of which were lodged after the election results were announced. He pointed out that several complaints were made by individuals who had previously contested elections against Banerjee, alleging that some cases were linked to incidents from years ago.

Narayan also referenced a case involving alleged embezzlement of funds under the name 'Sebashroy,' asserting that this project was initiated by Banerjee in Diamond Harbour for the elderly and did not utilize government funds. The court raised concerns regarding delays in filing certain complaints, questioning the 25-day gap between the alleged incident and the complaint in one instance.

Additionally, the court noted that one of the complainants had reportedly contested elections against Banerjee twice and lost both times. However, the state opposed the petition for protection, with SV Raju arguing that in cases where only complaints have been filed without any FIR, a request for dismissal under the law cannot be made. He further stated that if the petitioner seeks relief from an FIR, the appropriate course of action would be to approach the court under Section 438.