The West Bengal Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has served a formal notice on All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) general secretary and Lok Sabha member Abhishek Banerjee, directing him to appear for voice sample collection on 30 June in connection with a case alleging he incited violence and threatened Union Home Minister Amit Shah ahead of the recently concluded West Bengal Assembly elections. The notice was served pursuant to an order passed by a district court in North 24 Parganas earlier this week.

How the Notice Was Served

A CID official personally visited Abhishek Banerjee's residence on Kalighat Road in South Kolkata on Wednesday night to hand over the notice, according to a state police insider. Banerjee, who is also the nephew of former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, is expected to comply by the court-mandated date.

The voice samples will be collected in the presence of a judicial magistrate and forensic experts, as stipulated in the court order.

Court Order and Background

The CID approached the Bidhannagar Court earlier this week after obtaining video footage of Banerjee's alleged statements at a pre-election rally. On 23 June, the court granted the CID permission to collect his voice samples and fixed 30 June as the date for the procedure.

An FIR was registered against Banerjee last month at the Bidhannagar Cyber Crime Police Station, accusing him of inciting violence and threatening Home Minister Amit Shah. The case was subsequently transferred to the CID on 11 June.

Prior Questioning and Mounting Legal Pressure

Banerjee was questioned for six and a half hours at CID headquarters in Bhabani Bhavan, South Kolkata, earlier this month in connection with the same case. He is also under CID scrutiny in a separate matter involving an alleged mismatch in signatures of TMC legislators on a resolution related to opposition bench appointments in the Assembly — a case in which he has already been questioned twice.

Calcutta High Court Setback

Adding to his legal difficulties, a single-judge bench of the Calcutta High Court on Wednesday rejected Banerjee's plea for a fast-track hearing on his petition seeking court permission to travel abroad for ophthalmic treatment. The back-to-back legal setbacks mark a significant escalation in the judicial and investigative pressure on the TMC leader.

With the voice sample collection date set for 30 June and multiple cases active, the coming days are expected to be critical for Banerjee and, by extension, the Trinamool Congress.