Kolkata, Jun 5 The Calcutta High Court on Friday fixed June 10 for hearing a petition by TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee seeking protection from any coercive action by the state CID over its probe into an alleged forgery of party MLAs' signatures.
Banerjee's lawyers mentioned the matter before the court for an urgent hearing.
A vacation bench of Justice Chaital Chatterjee (Das) said the matter will be placed before the designated regular bench for hearing on June 10 following the summer vacation.
The CID is investigating a complaint filed with the Assembly Secretariat by two rebel TMC MLAs alleging that their signatures were forged on the party's resolution appointing Ballygunge MLA Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as the leader of the opposition.
The assembly secretariat filed an FIR with the Kolkata Police over the complaint by the two MLAs -- Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha -- and the probe was later transferred to the CID by the state's home secretary.
Banerjee was summoned by the CID in connection with the alleged signature forgery case on Monday, but he did not appear before the agency, citing ill-health and sought an extension of time.
The TMC leader, considered number two in the party hierarchy, was attacked by a mob when he visited the house of an alleged post-poll violence victim at Sonarpur town in South 24 Parganas district on June 30. He received treatment at two private hospitals that evening but was not admitted.
In a fresh notice, the CID asked Banerjee to appear before the investigating officer on June 8.
