Calcutta High Court Orders TMC General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee to Appear Before CID in Signature Forgery Probe
Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee appeared before West Bengal's CID on June 11, 2026, for nearly six hours of questioning in a signature forgery case, following a Calcutta High Court order directing his appearance. The case stems from allegations that signatures of TMC MLAs were forged on a resolution nominating Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as Leader of Opposition in the state assembly. The development comes amid a broader existential crisis for the TMC, with rebel MPs and MLAs breaking away, multiple Rajya Sabha resignations, and a rebel faction preparing to claim recognition as the 'real TMC' before the Lok Sabha Speaker.
Abhishek Banerjee, TMC's national general secretary and Diamond Harbour MP, appeared before the West Bengal CID at Bhabani Bhawan on June 11 after the Calcutta High Court directed him to present himself by 6 p.m. and granted him three weeks of interim protection from coercive action, provided he cooperates with investigators. He had previously skipped three summons on June 1, June 8, and June 9, citing health reasons. After nearly six hours of questioning, he was issued a fresh summons to appear again on June 14, with CID officials reportedly dissatisfied by his responses, including repeated claims of 'I do not know.' The forgery allegations center on a resolution purportedly signed by around 70 TMC MLAs recommending Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as Leader of Opposition; rebel MLAs Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha allege the meeting never took place and that at least 14 signatures appeared in block letters rather than genuine handwriting, with at least three MLAs reportedly telling CID their signatures were not genuine. The crisis has expanded well beyond the legal case: three Rajya Sabha MPs have resigned from the party, a rebel bloc of 19-20 Lok Sabha MPs is seeking separate parliamentary recognition and plans to meet Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on June 15, senior TMC figures including Kalyan Banerjee have publicly criticized Abhishek and issued ultimatums to Mamata Banerjee, and an FIR has also been filed against Mamata Banerjee herself over an alleged communal remark during the election campaign. A separate Tripura court has additionally summoned Abhishek Banerjee to appear on June 22 in a 2021 case involving alleged assault on police officers.
What's missing
It is not yet publicly established whether the West Bengal government (now led by the BJP following TMC's election defeat) has any formal role in directing the CID investigation, a question central to TMC's claim of political targeting. The legal basis and timeline for the transfer of the signature forgery FIR from the Assembly Secretariat to the CID also remains underexplained across sources.
How coverage differed
All sources maintain broadly centrist framing, but differ in emphasis: The Hindu and Times of India focus on the legal and procedural details of the CID case, while NDTV, India Today, and Indian Express give greater weight to the broader political implosion of the TMC, including internal party rebellions and ultimatums. India Today's live blog includes TMC leaders framing the agency actions as politically motivated targeting of the opposition, a perspective given less prominence in The Hindu and Times of India.
What different sources said
- NDTVCenter
CID Questions TMC's Abhishek Banerjee For 6 Hours In Signature Forgery Case
- The HinduCenter
Signature forgery case: Calcutta High Court directs Abhishek Banerjee to appear before CID
- The Indian ExpressCenter
TMC Crisis Live Updates: Abhishek Banerjee reaches CID office for questioning
- Times of IndiaCenter
Signature 'forgery' case: Abhishek Banerjee asked to appear before CID again on June 14
- India TodayCenter
TMC Crisis Live: CID team at Abhishek Banerjee's home to serve notice over provocative remark
- Deccan HeraldCenter
India Politics LIVE Updates | FIR filed against Mamata over 'provocative' remarks during Bengal poll campaign
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