Just protect me from egg pelting: Abhishek after Calcutta High Court’s snub in ‘DJ remark’ case

The Calucutta High Court’s strict instruction to Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secreatry Abhishek Banerjee to submit his voice sample on July 15, the party’s second-in-command pleaded the court to ensure that no one throws eggs at him while he is on his way to the Bidhannagar magistrate court.

Banerjee will be appearing before the magistrate at 12 noon on July 15 to give his voice sample in the DJ remarks case.

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When Abhishek’s counsel, Ayan Bhattacharya appealed to the court to ensure that no one should throw eggs at his client while he is on his way to give his voice sample, the court said that it is the responsibility of the state government to maintain law and order and ensure that such incidents do not take place.

Additional Advocate General of the state Rajdeep Majumdar assured the court that no such unpleasant incident will be allowed to happen.

During the hearing, Justice Saugata Bhattacharya expressed his strong dissatisfaction over Banerjee’s non-compliance with the court’s orders. He even warned that his interim protection from arrest may be withdrawn if he does not cooperate in the investigation.

Justice Bhattacharya said that Banerjee was granted interim protection under the condition that the latter would cooperate with the investigation.

“There should be a limit to everything. If you do not cooperate with the investigation, I will withdraw the protection. Respond to the police notice and cooperate with the investigation. Otherwise, the case will be dismissed and a fine may be imposed,” he said.

Justice Bhattacharya further explained that the protection extended to Banerjee under Article 226 of the Constitution was conditional, and that collecting voice samples as part of the investigation also comes under the abmit of cooperation with the investigating agencies.

Banerjee’s counsel, Ayan Bhattacharya, argued that his client has already admitted to making the relevant statements and acknowledged the relevant voice sample as his own. Therefore, the need to collect his voice sample was questioned.

Following the court’s direction, Bhattacharya sought permission to withdraw the case and requested the court to ensure that the voice sample given for this particular case should not be used in any other case.

Earlier, Banerjee was ordered by the magistrate at Bidhannagar court to give his voice sample though the former did not heed the lower court’s directive and kept officials of the Crime Investigation Department (CID) waiting for almost two hours.

Following this con-compliance, the matter was listed before the Calcutta High Court by the state’s Additional Advocate General Rajdeep Mazumder.