Kolkata, June 8 (IANS) Trinamool Congress general secretary and Lok Sabha member Abhishek Banerjee has sent a fresh communique to the Criminal Investigation Department of West Bengal Police seeking more time to appear at the CID office in South Kolkata for interrogation in the signature mismatch case.

The case was filed after complaints were made by some Trinamool MLAs alleging that signatures of several legislators were forged on official documents submitted to the West Bengal Assembly.

After having failed to appear at the CID office on June 1, Abhishek Banerjee, the nephew of former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, was served a fresh notice by the state’s investigative agency asking him to appear by noon on Monday.

However, he left Kolkata and arrived in New Delhi on Saturday afternoon to attend a meeting of the opposition INDIA bloc on Monday.

Mamata Banerjee also arrived in New Delhi to attend that meeting, though reached the national capital on Sunday.

Insiders from the state police said it was clear on Saturday afternoon that Abhishek Banerjee would not turn up at the CID’s office as he left for New Delhi. However, on Monday, he sent a formal communique to the CID seeking more time to appear for interrogation.

State police sources said that in the communique, Abhishek Banerjee informed the CID about his presence in New Delhi on Monday and also mentioned the crucial June 10 hearing at a single-judge vacation bench of the Calcutta High Court on his petition challenging the CID summons. The plea also seeks protection against coercive action, including arrest, in relation to the case.

Last week, while he approached the Calcutta High Court with his petition challenging the CID summons and seeking protection, he also moved a plea for a fast-track hearing.

However, the single-judge vacation bench of Justice Chaitali Chatterjee Das rejected the plea for fast-track hearing and fixed June 10 as the next date of hearing.

–IANS

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