Calcutta HC Rejects Abhishek Banerjee’s Plea for Fast-Track Hearing in CID Summons Case

Kolkata, June 2026 : In a setback for Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, the Calcutta High Court on Friday rejected his plea seeking an urgent hearing of his petition challenging a CID summons issued in connection with an MLA signature mismatch case.

The matter was heard by the single-judge vacation bench of Justice Chaitali Chattopadhyay, which declined to expedite the hearing as requested by Banerjee’s legal counsel.

The case pertains to alleged discrepancies in the signatures of several Trinamool Congress (TMC) legislators on a resolution submitted to the West Bengal Assembly. The resolution was related to the nomination of party legislators to key positions within the Assembly, but was later flagged due to inconsistencies in some signatures.

Petition Against CID Summons

Banerjee, who is also the nephew of former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, had approached the High Court on June 3 challenging the CID summons and seeking protection from any coercive action, including arrest.

In the same petition, his counsel requested that the matter be taken up on an urgent or fast-track basis, citing the seriousness of the allegations and procedural concerns surrounding the summons.

However, the court refused to grant immediate listing of the case, effectively delaying the urgency plea while keeping the main petition pending for regular hearing.

Sequence of Events

Banerjee was initially summoned by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on June 1 for questioning in connection with the signature mismatch issue. However, he did not appear before the agency on that date, citing health concerns following an alleged incident in Sonarpur in South 24 Parganas on May 30, where he claimed he was assaulted by members of the public.

Following his request, he sought 15 days’ time to appear before the CID. Later the same day, CID officials issued a fresh summons directing him to appear on June 8.

The revised date has added a political dimension to the matter, as both Abhishek Banerjee and Mamata Banerjee are scheduled to be in New Delhi on June 8 for an opposition INDIA bloc meeting.

Assembly Resolution Dispute

The controversy stems from a letter submitted by Banerjee to the West Bengal Assembly Speaker Rathindra Bose, recommending the appointment of several party leaders to key positions.

The proposed names included Sovandeb Chattopadhyay as Leader of Opposition, Nayna Bandopadhyay and Asima Patra as deputy leaders, and Firhad Hakim as Chief Whip of the TMC legislative party.

The Speaker reportedly asked that the resolution be formally supported with signatures of the concerned MLAs along with Banerjee’s letter. A signed resolution was subsequently submitted to the Assembly Secretariat.

However, the situation escalated when TMC legislators Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha raised objections, alleging discrepancies in some of the signatures attached to the resolution.

CID Investigation Begins

Following the complaint, the Assembly Secretariat referred the matter to the CID for investigation. The agency subsequently issued summons to Abhishek Banerjee for questioning to ascertain the authenticity of the signatures and the process followed in the submission of the resolution.

With the High Court refusing to expedite the hearing, the legal and political scrutiny surrounding the case is expected to continue, adding to the already tense political atmosphere in West Bengal.