Calcutta HC asks cops to explain pre-dawn raid at Abhishek Banerjee's home
The Calcutta High Court on Monday directed the Kolkata Police to explain the circumstances under which raids were conducted at the residence of Trinamool Congress
The Calcutta High Court on Monday directed the Kolkata Police to explain the circumstances under which raids were conducted at the residence of Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Abhishek Banerjee earlier this month, while hearing a petition filed by the ruling party alleging excessive police action. A single bench of Justice Saugata Bhattacharya asked the Kolkata Police to clarify why the search operation was carried out during the early hours of June 13. The court also ordered the preservation of CCTV footage from the day of the raids, along with audio and video recordings of the search operation, to ensure that relevant evidence remains available during the proceedings.
Read Full Story The court directed the police to file an affidavit within four weeks explaining the action taken, while the petitioner, the Trinamool Congress, has been asked to submit its reply through an affidavit within two weeks. However, the court observed that there was no need to pass any interim order in the matter at this stage. The petition filed by the TMC alleged that the police resorted to excessive action in connection with a case that, according to the party, had no direct link to Banerjee. POLICE HAS MISUSED POWER? Appearing on behalf of the TMC, former West Bengal Advocate General Kishore Dutta argued that police personnel arrived at Banerjee's residence at 121 Kalighat Road without a search warrant.
He told the court that the police reached the residence around 3 am and later summoned a disaster management team at approximately 5 am to break open a locked section of the premises. Dutta alleged that the police had "misused" their powers during the operation. The raids were conducted as part of the search for Banerjee's personal assistant, Sumit Roy, who is accused in connection with an alleged corruption case linked to a land deal in Salboni in West Midnapore district. Police have been searching for Roy since an FIR was registered against him in West Midnapore.
Banerjee's counsel argued that the TMC MP was not named anywhere in the complaint and questioned the basis for searching his residence solely on the suspicion that Roy might be present there. The matter will now proceed after the submission of affidavits by both the Kolkata Police and the petitioner, following the timelines set by the High Court. Ends
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