TRINAMOOL Congress national General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Thursday appeared before the West Bengal CID to face questions in the signature forgery case over the party’s choice of Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly and was seen leaving the office nearly after 6 hours of questioning. Banerjee skipped three previous appearance notices before the investigating agency sleuths, citing illness and his filing of a challenge petition before the Calcutta High Court. This was the TMC Diamond Harbour MP’s first tryst with a state probe agency following the change of guards at Bengal’s power corridors.

 

Earlier, he had been questioned on multiple occasions by central agencies -- ED and CBI -- in connection with coal pilferage and school jobs recruitment scams. Earlier in the day, Calcutta High Court on Thursday granted TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee interim protection from any coercive action in a signature forgery case over the party’s choice of Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal assembly. Justice Kausik Chanda, while granting the interim protection for three weeks, directed Banerjee to appear before the CID.