Abhishek Banerjee moves High Court as frozen bank accounts threaten eye treatment abroad

Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee filed a petition with the Calcutta High Court on Monday, alleging that his bank accounts were frozen without any valid reason as he prepares for medical treatment abroad. His legal team argued that the MP needs to travel overseas for eye surgery, a procedure already approved by the Supreme Court. No official explanation was provided for the account freeze in response to the court's inquiry.

The High Court's Justice Krishna Rao ordered copies of the petition to be served to all opposing parties and set the next hearing for Wednesday. Concurrently, the court extended Banerjee's interim protection against the Calcutta Police's investigation into alleged signature forgery until November. Meanwhile, CID officers remain barred from taking any coercive action against Banerjee without the court's permission.

During the legal proceedings, the court questioned the prosecution's connection to the MP, asking whether merely attending a meeting automatically implies involvement in forgery. AAG Rajdeep Majumdar informed the bench that among the 70 MLAs who signed a resolution book at a May meeting, five claimed their signatures were forged.

Initial forensic tests verified that the five signatures were indeed fraudulent. Despite the prosecution's claims, the court maintained Banerjee's interim protection while permitting the investigation to continue.