Abhishek Banerjee Fails To Secure Court Approval For Overseas Medical Visit Request
Court refuses Banerjee's plea for foreign eye treatment.
The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday declined to grant an immediate hearing to Trinamool Congress leader and Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee's plea seeking permission to travel to the United States for medical treatment related to a long-standing eye injury. The court stated that the matter would be taken up in accordance with the regular schedule of hearings.
Justice Sougata Bhattacharyya observed that the petition would be heard when it appears in the court's listed matters following the standard judicial process. Abhishek had sought urgent consideration of his request, citing the need to travel abroad for a week to undergo treatment for an eye condition stemming from a serious accident nearly a decade ago.
The TMC leader suffered a severe eye injury in a road accident on the Durgapur Expressway in Hooghly district in 2016. Since then, he has reportedly been undergoing periodic medical treatment and consultations. His latest request to travel overseas for specialised care comes amid ongoing legal and political scrutiny.
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Banerjee has been facing questioning by both state and central investigating agencies in connection with multiple cases. These include allegations related to the forgery of signatures of party legislators, controversial remarks linked to the 'DJ' music issue, and matters connected to the primary teachers' recruitment scam. The investigations have kept him under close watch in recent weeks.
His plea before the High Court has sparked political debate in West Bengal, particularly because of the ongoing investigations. Since June 11, officers of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of West Bengal Police have questioned Banerjee on three separate occasions at the agency's headquarters, Bhabani Bhaban, in Kolkata. The interrogations reportedly lasted several hours and focused on allegations involving forged signatures of TMC MLAs and other related matters.
The High Court's refusal to fast-track the hearing does not amount to a rejection of Banerjee's request to travel abroad. Instead, the court has indicated that the matter will be considered through the normal judicial process. The development comes at a politically sensitive time, with investigations involving the senior TMC leader continuing alongside heightened attention from both political rivals and law enforcement agencies.
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