The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday declined Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee’s urgent request for permission to travel abroad for eye treatment, nearly two weeks after rejecting a similar application. The court said appropriate medical procedures were available in India and sought an assessment of his condition by specialists at a government hospital.

Justice Sougata Bhattacharya observed that receiving necessary medical intervention was more important than the location where it was provided. The court directed the 40-year-old Diamond Harbour MP to appear before the head of ophthalmology at Kolkata’s state-run SSKM Hospital, who will determine whether his condition can be treated there and submit a report for further consideration.

Banerjee suffered a serious injury below his eye in a road accident while returning to Kolkata from Murshidabad in October 2016. The TMC said he underwent initial treatment in India before receiving specialised care abroad and has since travelled overseas for periodic follow-up procedures. The same bench had rejected his earlier travel request on July 20, citing the availability of reputed eye-care facilities in Kolkata.

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The MP is facing a police investigation concerning allegedly intimidatory remarks made about rival party leaders and workers during an April 27 campaign meeting ahead of the second phase of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly election. While extending his interim protection from coercive action until October 6, the court directed him to cooperate with investigators and not leave India without prior judicial permission.

Banerjee subsequently approached the Supreme Court, arguing that he had cooperated with investigators in all cases and should not be denied access to medical treatment. The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Calcutta High Court to consider his petition within one week. The High Court maintained that it was not inclined to permit foreign travel while the investigation remained underway without first examining the SSKM assessment.

BJP leaders and a rival TMC faction alleged that Banerjee could attempt to remain abroad if allowed to travel, but they offered no publicly established evidence supporting the claim. The Mamata Banerjee-led TMC rejected the allegations as an effort to politicise a medical issue, saying Banerjee had faced the cases against him, cooperated with investigators and travelled abroad previously for treatment of his long-standing injury.

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