Calcutta HC rejects Abhishek Banerjee aide's plea for arrest protection
Synopsis
The Calcutta High Court has refused to shield Sumit Roy — executive assistant to TMC strongman Abhishek Banerjee — from fresh arrests, even as his wife separately seeks a CBI probe into alleged custody torture. With the court on vacation and a regular bench taking over on 16 November, both legal battles are set to intensify.
Key Takeaways
The Calcutta High Court on 12 November rejected Sumit Roy 's petition seeking protection from arrest in any new case beyond his existing two.
Roy is executive assistant to TMC General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee and faces cases involving alleged land-grabbing in Salboni and multi-crore soil theft in Diamond Harbour .
Justice Saugata Bhattacharya held that the issues required detailed consideration and interim relief could not be granted at this stage.
Roy's wife Sushmita Roy has separately petitioned for a CBI probe and alleged her husband is being tortured in custody.
The vacation bench declined urgent hearing on the wife's petition; it will be heard by a regular bench when the court resumes on 16 November .
The Calcutta High Court on Thursday, 12 November rejected a petition filed by Sumit Roy, executive assistant to All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee, seeking protection from arrest in any fresh case beyond the two corruption-related cases in which he is already booked. The ruling came from a single-judge vacation bench presided over by Justice Saugata Bhattacharya.
Background: Two Cases and Two Custodies
Sumit Roy is currently embroiled in two separate legal proceedings in West Bengal. Earlier this year, he was arrested in connection with an alleged illegal land-grabbing case in Salboni, following which he was first placed in police custody and then transferred to judicial custody.
Last month, the Diamond Harbour Police District in South 24 Parganas recorded him as arrested in a second case involving an alleged multi-crore soil theft in Diamond Harbour. He was once again taken into police custody following that development.
What the Court Said
Roy had moved the Calcutta High Court seeking an order that would restrain the police from arresting him in any case other than the two already on record. After hearing arguments, Justice Bhattacharya rejected the plea, observing that the issues raised required detailed consideration and that interim protection from arrest could not be granted at that stage.
Notably, this is the same vacation bench that earlier this week declined an urgent hearing on a separate petition filed by Roy's wife, Sushmita Roy, alleging that her husband was being subjected to torture in police custody.
Wife's Parallel Petition: CBI Probe Sought
Sushmita Roy had sought a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into both cases against her husband, which are currently being investigated by the West Bengal Police. As an alternative, she requested judicial oversight through a committee headed by a retired Calcutta High Court judge. However, Justice Bhattacharya declined to hear the matter during the ongoing court vacation, directing that it be placed before a regular bench when the High Court resumes normal functioning on 16 November.
Significance and What Comes Next
The twin petitions — by Roy seeking personal legal cover and by his wife seeking a CBI investigation — place the cases squarely in the spotlight of ongoing scrutiny over alleged corruption linked to political circles in West Bengal. The court's refusal to grant interim protection signals that the judiciary found no immediate grounds to shield Roy from potential fresh action by law enforcement. When the High Court reconvenes on 16 November, both the custody-torture allegation and any renewed appeal are expected to come before a regular bench for substantive consideration.
Point of View
Every development in these cases feeds into the broader narrative of TMC's accountability deficit in West Bengal. The parallel petition by Roy's wife seeking a CBI probe, while not yet admitted, adds another pressure point: if custody-torture allegations are eventually taken up, they could shift the story from corruption to civil rights, complicating the state government's position. The key question heading into 16 November is whether a regular bench treats these matters as routine bail-and-custody issues or allows them to open a wider inquiry into how West Bengal Police is handling high-profile political cases.
NationPress
12 Nov 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did the Calcutta High Court reject Sumit Roy's petition?
Justice Saugata Bhattacharya rejected the petition because the issues raised required detailed consideration and interim protection from arrest could not be granted at that stage. The ruling was delivered by a single-judge vacation bench on 12 November.
Who is Sumit Roy and what cases does he face?
Sumit Roy is the executive assistant to TMC General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee. He faces two cases: an alleged illegal land-grabbing case in Salboni and an alleged multi-crore soil theft case in Diamond Harbour, South 24 Parganas — both under West Bengal Police investigation.
What has Sumit Roy's wife Sushmita Roy sought from the court?
Sushmita Roy has petitioned the Calcutta High Court alleging her husband is being tortured in police custody, and has sought either a CBI probe into both cases or judicial oversight through a committee headed by a retired High Court judge. The vacation bench declined urgent hearing and directed the matter to a regular bench on 16 November.
When will the High Court take up these matters next?
The Calcutta High Court resumes normal functioning on 16 November, when both Sushmita Roy's custody-torture petition and any further proceedings related to Sumit Roy's cases are expected to come before a regular bench for substantive hearing.
What is the connection between these cases and Abhishek Banerjee?
Sumit Roy serves as the executive assistant to Abhishek Banerjee, the General Secretary of the All India Trinamool Congress. While Banerjee himself is not named in the cases, the proximity of his aide to two separate corruption investigations has drawn political attention to the matter.
