Trinamool Congress (TMC) National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee reached Bhawani Bhavan on Sunday to appear before the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in connection with the West Bengal Assembly signature controversy case.
This marks his second appearance before investigators after the Calcutta High Court directed him to cooperate with the probe. Though he was asked to appear by 12 pm, Abhishek arrived ahead of schedule and entered the CID headquarters after signing the visitors' register.
Second round of questioning by CID
Abhishek had earlier appeared before CID officials on June 11, when he was questioned for over five hours. He had reached the agency's office before 6 pm and left around 11:30 pm.
The questioning followed a High Court order that instructed the Trinamool leader to extend full cooperation to investigators examining the allegations linked to the Assembly resolution.
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On Sunday, too, he arrived at Bhawani Bhavan before the scheduled time, indicating his compliance with the court's directive.
How the signature controversy began
The dispute stems from a resolution related to the selection of senior Trinamool leader Shovandeb Chattopadhyay as the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly.
On May 9, Abhishek Banerjee wrote to Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee informing him about the party's decision. Days later, on May 18, the Assembly's Principal Secretary sought the minutes and supporting resolution connected to the decision.
In response, a copy of the resolution was submitted on May 20. The document reportedly carried the signatures of 70 MLAs. It also included the names of 10 legislators written in block letters.
Allegations of forged signatures trigger probe
The controversy escalated on May 27 when MLAs Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha raised objections before the Speaker. They alleged that several legislators whose signatures appeared on the resolution were not present at the meeting held in Kalighat.
Their complaint sparked questions over the authenticity of some of the signatures on the document.
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Acting on the complaint, the Assembly's Principal Secretary lodged a case at Hare Street Police Station following the Speaker's instructions. The matter was subsequently handed over to the CID for investigation.
High court intervention and CID notices
During the course of the investigation, CID issued three notices to Abhishek Banerjee at his Kalighat Road residence, asking him to appear before officers.
The Trinamool leader challenged the notices in the Calcutta High Court. However, the court directed him to cooperate with the investigation and appear before the agency whenever required.
Following that order, Abhishek attended the first round of questioning on June 11 and has now appeared before CID officials once again as the investigation continues.
FAQs:
Why did the CID visit Abhishek Banerjee's Kalighat residence?
CID visited Abhishek Banerjee's Kalighat residence to serve a notice in connection with an investigation into remarks he allegedly made during an election campaign.
What is the Bengal Assembly signature row involving Abhishek Banerjee?
The case revolves around allegations that some signatures on a resolution submitted to the Assembly may have been forged or improperly included.
