ED May Issue New Summons To Abhishek Banerjee If Documents Fail To Satisfy, Rules Calcutta High Court

In response to the ongoing investigation into the alleged school jobs scam in West Bengal, the Calcutta High Court has suggested that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) consider issuing fresh summons to TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee if they find his submitted documents unsatisfactory.

This development comes after Banerjee had initially skipped a summons to appear before the ED on October 3 in order to participate in a TMC protest rally in New Delhi, where he demanded the immediate release of central funds for the state. In response to this, a division bench, presided by Justice Soumen Sen, heard an appeal by Banerjee challenging a single bench's order that had directed the ED to ensure the investigation process was not disrupted, PTI reported. 

The division bench has now proposed that the ED establish a clear time limit for Banerjee to provide the necessary documents as required for the investigation. If the ED remains dissatisfied with the documents submitted by Banerjee, they may consider summoning him for further questioning.

The ED is scheduled to present its submissions regarding this suggestion before the bench, which also includes Justice Uday Kumar, in the upcoming hearing. It's worth noting that Banerjee had previously been questioned by the ED for nearly nine hours in connection with the teacher recruitment scam on September 13. At that time, he asserted that the interrogation was an attempt to hinder his participation in a meeting and emphasized the significant role played by the TMC in uniting the opposition.

Banerjee's interactions with the ED are not limited to this case, as he has previously been questioned twice in the coal pilferage case, once in the national capital in 2021 and again in Kolkata in 2022.