Abhishek Banerjee’s aide approaches Calcutta HC for interim protection in 4 FIRs filed against him

Kolkata, Aug 10 (AHN) Sumit Roy, the aide of Trinamool Congress general secretary and the party’s Lok Sabha member, Abhishek Banerjee, on Monday, approached a single-judge bench of the Calcutta High Court for interim protection from coercive police action, including arrests in relation to four FIRs registered against him by the West Bengal Police.

Roy is already enjoying interim protection from coercive police action in two other cases -- one relating to illegal land grabbing and the other related to cash-for-jobs.

In the FIR in the illegal land-grabbing case, interim protection was granted to him by a division bench of the Supreme Court. On the other hand, in the case of the FIR registered in the cash-for-job case, the interim protection was granted by a single-judge bench of the Calcutta High Court.

Roy has been questioned by the sleuths of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the state police for two consecutive days on Saturday and Sunday. He was scheduled to appear at the CID office again on Monday.

Now, apprehending that the CID sleuths might arrest him in the four other cases, Roy approached the Calcutta High Court’s single-judge bench of Justice Sougata Bhattacharya seeking similar interim protection.

He has also pleaded for an urgent hearing in the matter. The first hearing in the matter is likely to be this week only. In his petition, Roy has argued that since he has been fully cooperating with the investigation, he deserved similar interim protection in four other FIRs.

Before the Supreme Court granted him interim protection in the illegal-land grabbing case, Roy had been absconding for a long time. However, after being granted interim protection, he appeared at the CID office to face interrogation in the case for the first time on August 8.

Earlier, as Roy could not be traced at his known addresses, a local court issued an arrest warrant against him. The Criminal Investigation Department of West Bengal Police had issued a lookout notice against him.

In June, police teams also conducted searches at Abhishek Banerjee's residence in Kolkata's Kalighat and at Roy's in-laws' residence in Serampore, but he was not found in either place.