The Signature Shadow: Abhishek Banerjee Seeks Time Amid CID Forgery Probe

The Trinamool Congress leader has requested a reprieve from investigators as a controversy over legislative documents reaches the Calcutta High Court.

The sprawling premises of Bhawani Bhawan, the CID headquarters in south Kolkata, stood quiet this Monday as Abhishek Banerjee failed to show up for questioning. Instead of facing investigators, the Diamond Harbour MP was in New Delhi, attending a high-stakes meeting of the opposition INDIA bloc alongside party chief Mamata Banerjee. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary has formally sought more time to appear, citing his national political commitments as the CID probe into an alleged signature forgery case intensifies.

The investigation into the "forged" documents has already sent ripples through the West Bengal Assembly. At the heart of the matter is a May 6 Meeting Resolution Book, which Banerjee submitted to the Speaker on May 20. He had claimed the book recorded the appointment of key legislative leaders, including Sovandeb Chattopadhyay as Leader of the Opposition, Asima Patra and Nayna Bandyopadhyay as deputies, and Firhad Hakim as Chief Whip. However, the narrative fractured when, on May 27, two TMC MLAs publicly alleged that no such meeting took place on that date, claiming their signatures were either absent or added much later.

A Growing Paper Trail

The CID’s interest isn't purely administrative; it’s criminal. According to state officials, statements from 13 MLAs have already been recorded. The findings are troubling: three legislators have categorically denied signing the resolution, while a Canning Purba MLA insisted he wasn't even present in Kolkata on the day the meeting was allegedly held. With handwriting experts now scrutinizing the document—which reportedly features several signatures in block letters—the agency is demanding the production of the original resolution book to determine if the document was "manufactured and fabricated."

As the CID continues to visit his residence and issue fresh summons—with the latest date set for June 8—the legal battlefield has shifted to the Calcutta High Court. Banerjee has moved the court seeking protection from potential coercive action, with a hearing scheduled for June 10. The judicial intervention is expected to be a pivotal moment, as the court decides whether the probe against the TMC’s second-in-command can proceed with its current intensity.

Why it matters

This case is more than a dispute over parliamentary procedure; it highlights the friction between investigative agencies and political leadership in West Bengal. The investigation strikes at the credibility of the TMC legislative party’s internal records, potentially undermining the legitimacy of its recent appointments. For the TMC, the timing is particularly precarious. With the party already grappling with multiple legal pressures and public assaults on its leadership, this forgery case serves as a distraction that the state government can ill afford. It turns the mundane paperwork of the Assembly into a high-stakes legal drama, where the authenticity of a signature could define the political trajectory of the state’s ruling party.