KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress (TMC) general secretary and Lok Sabha MP Abhishek Banerjee has been summoned again by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in connection with the alleged signature forgery case. Officials said Banerjee has been asked to appear before investigators on June 14.The fresh summons came a day after Banerjee was questioned for nearly six hours at the CID headquarters in South Kolkata. He was released shortly before midnight on Thursday after being grilled by investigators.Abhishek had earlier skipped three summonses issued on June 1, June 8 and June 9. His legal team had informed the agency that he was unwell and in Delhi.Earlier on Thursday, the Calcutta high court granted interim protection from coercive action to Banerjee in the case. While directing him to appear before the CID for questioning at 6 pm, the court ruled that no coercive action could be taken against him for the time being.The court also observed that Banerjee could not be compelled to produce the allegedly forged document. It said investigators must obtain the document through the legal process of search and seizure rather than requiring him to submit it.The controversy stems from a resolution purportedly signed by around 70 TMC MLAs recommending senior party leader Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as the Leader of the Opposition after the party’s defeat in the recent West Bengal Assembly elections. The resolution was submitted to the Assembly Secretariat by Banerjee.However, on May 27, rebel TMC MLAs Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha alleged that no such meeting or resolution had taken place on May 6. They claimed they were only asked to sign a register on May 19 and not any political resolution. The two legislators also alleged that at least 14 signatures on the document appeared in block letters rather than genuine handwritten signatures.Following the allegations, the Assembly Secretariat lodged an FIR, which was later transferred to the CID for investigation.As part of the probe, the CID searched the TMC office located on the same premises as former chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s Kalighat residence on June 9. Party leaders initially resisted the search, resulting in a brief standoff before investigators were allowed to proceed.The agency has so far questioned at least 13 TMC MLAs. According to officials, at least three legislators have told investigators that the signatures attributed to them on the disputed document were not genuine.The CID is continuing its investigation into the alleged forgery and the circumstances surrounding the submission of the resolution to the Assembly Secretariat.
