Kolkata: Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Monday moved the Calcutta High Court, seeking the quashing of a First Information Report (FIR) registered against him for allegedly making inflammatory remarks during the campaign for the West Bengal assembly elections. The petition was filed before a bench led by Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya.
Details of the FIR
The FIR was lodged on May 5, a day after the election results were declared, at the Baguiati police station based on a complaint by one Rajib Sarkar. In his complaint, Sarkar claimed that Banerjee's speeches targeted Union Home Minister Amit Shah and were intended to incite unrest. The police registered the case under various sections of the Indian Penal Code related to promoting enmity between different groups and making statements conducive to public mischief.
Legal Arguments
Banerjee's legal team argued that the FIR was politically motivated and lacked substantive evidence. They contended that the speeches in question were part of routine political campaigning and did not cross the line into incitement. The petitioner sought the court's intervention to quash the FIR, asserting that it violated his fundamental right to free speech under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution.
The court is expected to hear the matter in detail in the coming days. This development comes amid a charged political atmosphere in West Bengal, where the ruling Trinamool Congress and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party have frequently traded accusations over inflammatory rhetoric.
