Calcutta High Court seeks report on cases and FIRs against Abhishek Banerjee

The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday directed the office of the Director General of Police (DGP), West Bengal, to submit a detailed report on the number of criminal cases and FIRs registered against Trinamool Congress general secretary and Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee.

The direction was issued by Justice Sougata Bhattacharya after Banerjee's counsel sought clarity on the exact number of cases pending against the Trinamool Congress leader at police stations across the state.

During the hearing, Banerjee's counsel submitted that while the legal team was aware of eight FIRs registered against him, it did not have information on the total number of criminal cases pending.

The counsel also contended that several cases had been filed against Banerjee because of political vendetta, arguing that he had been targeted owing to his political position.

"We are aware of eight FIRs, but we are not aware of the total number of cases pending against him. We need clarity before placing our detailed arguments," the counsel submitted before the court.

Opposing the plea, the West Bengal government argued that the cases were based on specific complaints and denied allegations that they had been initiated out of political motives.

After hearing both sides, the court directed the DGP's office to furnish a comprehensive report specifying the total number of cases and FIRs registered against Banerjee.

The high court also sought details of the allegations forming the basis of the eight FIRs already identified by the petitioner's counsel.

The matter has been posted for further hearing on 22 July, by which time the DGP's office has been asked to place its report before the court.

With IANS inputs