Signature forgery case: Calcutta High Court directs Abhishek Banerjee to appear before CID

The Kolkata High Court has directed Trinamool Congress (TMC) general secretary Abhishek Banerjee to appear before the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in the Bidhan Sabha signature scam probe on Thursday, June 11, 2026, at 6 pm.

Also read | TMC moves Kolkata HC after CID search of party office next to Mamata’s house

The Supreme Court also granted three weeks interim protection to Mr. Banerjee, directing that the CID cannot take any coercive action as long as he cooperates with the investigation.

The CID investigation was initiated following the filing of a First Information Report (FIR) regarding the complaint of TMC MLAs Ritabarta Banerjee and Sandipan Saha regarding alleged forgery of their signatures on the letter nominating Sovandeb Chattopadhyay as Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly. The letter was presented to the Speaker of the Parliament on May 20, 2026.

The government agency later issued several summons to Abhishek Banerjee, who signed the letter. However, he did not appear in person, citing health issues, and asked for another 15 days to respond.

Meanwhile, TMC moved the Kolkata High Court on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, challenging the legality of the search operation carried out on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, at the party office adjacent to former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s residence in Kolkata’s Kalighat area.