Calcutta HC Adjourns Abhishek Banerjee’s Plea Against Eight FIRs to July 30

The Calcutta High Court on Thursday adjourned till July 30 the hearing on Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Abhishek Banerjee's plea seeking protection from coercive action in eight FIRs registered at different police stations in West Bengal.

Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya directed Banerjee's counsel to inform the court if any action is taken against the TMC leader in connection with the FIRs before the next hearing.

During the proceedings, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Banerjee, sought protection from coercive action in the eight cases. Sibal referred to an earlier order in which the High Court had granted protection to West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari in 17 FIRs and argued that similar relief should be available to Banerjee.

The court, however, said Adhikari could not be cited as an example and stressed that such pleas would have to be considered on a case-to-case basis.

Justice Bhattacharyya also questioned how eight separate matters could be clubbed in a single petition. Sibal clarified that Banerjee was not seeking joint protection and that each FIR would be addressed individually.

The West Bengal government opposed the plea. Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, representing the state, sought an adjournment, stating that the Solicitor General would appear and argue the matter on behalf of the government.

The FIRs cited in Banerjee's plea include cases registered at Bhabanipur in Kolkata, Siliguri, Kalitala and Bishnupur in South 24 Parganas district, relating to different issues. The TMC MP's counsel maintained that these cases were separate from matters in which Banerjee had previously secured protection from coercive action.

The court also observed that the prosecution matters had been pending for a considerable period and indicated during the initial hearing that protection could not be granted to Banerjee at this stage.

The matter will now be taken up on July 30, when the court is expected to hear arguments on the maintainability of the plea and Banerjee's request for protection in the eight FIRs.