Abhishek Banerjee moves SC seeking permission for overseas eye treatment

Trinamool Congress general secretary and Lok Sabha MP Abhishek Banerjee, has once again approached the Supreme Court seeking permission to travel abroad for eye treatment, days after the Calcutta High Court rejected his plea.

The Diamond Harbour MP's latest petition marks his second approach to the apex court over the issue. The date for the hearing is yet to be announced.

Banerjee had initially moved the Calcutta High Court last month seeking permission to travel overseas for ophthalmic treatment.

During a hearing on 20 July, a single-judge Bench of Justice Sougata Bhattacharya advised him to first consult specialists at the state-run S.S.K.M. Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.

The court had indicated that it would consider whether overseas treatment was necessary after examining the opinion of the S.S.K.M. specialists.

Banerjee subsequently approached the Supreme Court instead. A three-judge Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Venkita Subramani Mohan referred the matter back to the Calcutta High Court.

When the case returned before Justice Bhattacharya on 5 August, Banerjee's counsel informed the court that the MP would not undergo the suggested consultation at S.S.K.M.

The high court subsequently refused to allow him to travel abroad for treatment and dismissed his petition.

Following the setback, Banerjee has filed a fresh petition before the Supreme Court seeking permission for overseas travel.

The state police administration has opposed his request to travel abroad, citing several FIRs registered against him, including cases involving non-bailable provisions.

Banerjee has been undergoing treatment for an eye injury sustained in a road accident in October 2016. The accident occurred while he was returning to Kolkata after attending a party programme in Murshidabad district.

He suffered serious injuries to his eye and initially underwent treatment at hospitals in India before subsequently seeking medical treatment overseas.

With IANS inputs