CID Moves Court for Handwriting Samples in TMC MLAs Signature Case; Court Grants Permission

Kolkata, June 2026 : The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the West Bengal Police has approached the Bankshall Court seeking permission to collect handwriting samples of three Trinamool Congress MLAs in connection with the ongoing investigation into alleged irregularities in signatures submitted to the state Assembly.

The CID has requested the court to obtain handwriting samples of MLAs Baharul Islam, Subhasish Das, and Arup Roy. The court has approved the application, allowing investigators to proceed with the forensic examination as part of the probe into the so-called “signature discrepancy” case.

A five-member CID team, headed by a Deputy Inspector General (DIG)-rank officer, has been constituted to carry out the investigation. The case originated after the West Bengal Assembly Secretariat lodged a complaint at Hare Street police station citing inconsistencies in the signatures of several Trinamool legislators.

Following the complaint, Kolkata Police initiated preliminary action before handing over aspects of the probe to the CID for detailed investigation.

The controversy has already led to significant political developments within the Trinamool Congress. On Monday, the party expelled two MLAs—Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha—on grounds of alleged anti-party activities, intensifying the internal turmoil surrounding the issue.

The developments came shortly after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee addressed a press conference at Nabanna, where she stated that the matter involving alleged forgery in Assembly signatures had been brought to attention through a written complaint submitted by the expelled MLAs themselves to the Speaker.

According to official sources, the Assembly Secretariat subsequently filed a formal complaint at Hare Street police station. The Chief Minister also noted that as Home Minister, she had directed the CID to take over the investigation once the issue was escalated.

The case is linked to procedural confusion within the Trinamool Congress regarding the appointment of key legislative positions such as Leader of the Opposition, Deputy Leader, and Chief Whip. After the declaration of election results on May 4, a meeting of winning MLAs was held at Mamata Banerjee’s Kalighat residence on May 6. During the meeting, legislators reportedly agreed that the Chief Minister would decide on key Assembly appointments.

Following this, the party announced Sovandeb Chattopadhyay as Leader of the Opposition, with Nayna Bandyopadhyay and Asima Patra as deputy leaders, and Firhad Hakim as Chief Whip. A formal communication signed by Trinamool General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee was later sent to the Assembly, but it was not accepted.

Assembly authorities reportedly objected on procedural grounds, stating that such appointments must be made during a properly convened parliamentary party meeting, which had not taken place.

Subsequently, another meeting was held on May 19 at Kalighat, during which MLAs were asked to sign the minutes of the earlier May 6 meeting. Several legislators later claimed that they were required to sign documents retrospectively, which triggered allegations of irregularities and further complications.

As the CID deepened its investigation, officials visited the residences of four MLAs, including Nayna Bandyopadhyay, Kunal Ghosh, Tapas Maity, and Baharul Islam, to collect evidence and verify signatures linked to the disputed documents.

In a parallel development, the CID had also summoned Trinamool national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee for questioning on Monday in connection with the case. However, he did not appear before investigators, citing health-related reasons.

The investigation is ongoing, with the CID examining documentary evidence, witness statements, and handwriting samples to determine whether procedural lapses or deliberate forgery were involved in the submission of Assembly-related documents.