Calcutta HC declines hearing on Abhishek’s travel plea

The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday refused an urgent hearing to Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee’s plea seeking permission to travel abroad for medical treatment. Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya asked the parliamentarian’s counsel to mention the matter before the court on Monday. Refusing an urgent hearing to Banerjee’s plea to travel abroad for medical treatment, the judge made an oral observation that there are treatment facilities within the country. Justice Bhattacharyya had on May 21 granted Banerjee protection from coercive action till July 31 in an FIR over his comments at a public meeting during the assembly election campaign in April. He had then directed the TMC’s national general secretary to cooperate with the probe and not travel abroad without the court’s leave. The MP from Diamond Harbour had sought quashing of an FIR over his comments against the leaders and workers of a rival party at a public meeting on April 27 in the run-up to the second phase of West Bengal Assembly polls.