17:51
The Calcutta high court on Monday extended till October 6 Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee's interim protection from coercive action in a case of alleged intimidatory statements he made during the West Bengal assembly election campaign.
Granting the relief, Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya directed Banerjee to cooperate with the probe and not travel abroad without the court's permission as previously ordered.
The judge extended the interim protection to Banerjee till October 6, or until further orders, whichever is earlier and said the TMC national general secretary's plea for modification of conditions for granting him interim protection will be heard in August, but did not fix any particular date.
The Diamond Harbour MP had moved the application seeking permission to travel abroad for eye treatment.
Maintaining that the court was not inclined to allow the petitioner to travel abroad when the investigation was underway, Justice Bhattacharyya said there are several reputed eye clinics in Kolkata.
After Banerjee's counsel stated that he had cooperated with the investigation in compliance with the high court's order, Justice Bhattacharyya verbally observed that he would not grant permission unless the medical issue could not be treated in Kolkata.
When his lawyer argued that the petitioner has the right to choose his doctor, Justice Bhattacharyya said the court also needed to satisfy its conscience. -- PTI
