The West Bengal Crime Investigation Department (CID) has recorded statements from 13 Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLAs as part of its investigation into an alleged signature forgery case, officials confirmed on Tuesday.
Allegations of Signature Mismatch
According to officials, three legislators have stated that the signatures appearing in the May 6 Meeting Resolution Book were not made by them. One of them, the MLA from Canning Purba, claimed he did not attend the meeting held in Kolkata on that date.
The CID has issued a notice to TMC general secretary and Member of Parliament Abhishek Banerjee, directing him to appear before the investigating officer with the original meeting resolution book.
Background of the Case
The case stems from a complaint alleging irregularities in a resolution submitted to the West Bengal Legislative Assembly regarding the appointment of Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as the Leader of Opposition, Asima Patra and Nayna Bandyopadhyay as Deputy Leaders of Opposition, and Firhad Hakim as Chief Whip.
On May 9, Banerjee informed the Speaker of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly that decisions regarding the appointment of office-bearers had been taken during a meeting of the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) legislative party.
Later, on May 18, the Principal Secretary of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly wrote to Banerjee seeking submission of the minutes and resolution of the meeting, along with signatures of MLAs present during the decision-making process. On May 20, Banerjee submitted a copy of the meeting resolution book along with an attendance sheet containing signatures of the members present. The document stated that 70 MLAs were present at the meeting held on May 6.
Complaint and Investigation
On May 27, two AITC MLAs filed a complaint before the Speaker alleging that no resolution had been adopted regarding the selection of the Leader of Opposition on May 6 and that they had signed the meeting resolution book only on May 19. The complainants further alleged that the resolution dated May 6 was "manufactured and fabricated," and claimed that as many as 14 signatures appeared in block letters. The CID has recorded statements of 13 MLAs whose "signatures were in block letters."
The TMC has suspended the two MLAs, Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha, for anti-party activities.
Following a complaint by the Principal Secretary of the Assembly, Hare Street Police Station registered a case on May 27 under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) related to cheating, forgery, and criminal conspiracy. The CID took over the investigation on May 28.
This development highlights ongoing internal disputes within the TMC and raises questions about procedural integrity in legislative appointments.
