Kalyan Banerjee refuses to represent Abhishek Banerjee in Calcutta HC, cites arrogance
Synopsis
In a public rupture that lays bare TMC's post-election fractures, senior advocate and MP Kalyan Banerjee has refused to defend Abhishek Banerjee in the Calcutta High Court — and is now demanding Mamata Banerjee choose between her nephew and her old loyalists. With the party still reeling from a landslide Assembly defeat, the split could not have come at a worse time.
Key Takeaways
Kalyan Banerjee , four-time TMC Lok Sabha MP and senior advocate, refused on 11 June to represent Abhishek Banerjee before the Calcutta High Court .
Abhishek Banerjee is contesting West Bengal CID summons in a legislators' signature mismatch case and seeking protection from arrest.
Kalyan Banerjee cited a late-night call to his son Shirshanya Banerjee — replacing him with a junior advocate — as the immediate trigger.
Kalyan Banerjee has vowed to give Mamata Banerjee an ultimatum: choose between Abhishek Banerjee and loyal party veterans.
He blamed Abhishek Banerjee for being 'solely responsible' for TMC's 'pathetic condition' after its recent West Bengal Assembly defeat.
Senior advocate and four-time All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) Lok Sabha member Kalyan Banerjee on Thursday, 11 June publicly refused to represent party general secretary and MP Abhishek Banerjee before the Calcutta High Court, citing what he described as persistent arrogant behaviour by the younger leader. The dramatic fallout unfolded ahead of a scheduled hearing in a case where Abhishek Banerjee is challenging summons issued to him by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of West Bengal Police.
The Case Before the Court
The petition filed by Abhishek Banerjee contests summons issued by the West Bengal CID in connection with a legislators' signature mismatch case. The petition also seeks interim protection from coercive police action, including arrest. On Thursday, with Kalyan Banerjee absent, Abhishek Banerjee was represented instead by advocate Ayan Bhattacharya before the single-judge vacation bench of Justice Kaushik Chanda.
What Kalyan Banerjee Said
Speaking to reporters, Kalyan Banerjee said his withdrawal was not limited to this case — he would no longer represent Abhishek Banerjee in any legal matter. He explained that the immediate trigger was a late-night phone call made to his son after he had already secured an urgent hearing date.
'I have decided to refrain from any legal matters concerning Abhishek Banerjee. His continuing arrogance is unimaginable. Yesterday, I raised his matter at the bench of Justice Chanda and pleaded for an urgent hearing. Accordingly, Thursday was fixed as the date of hearing. But last night, he called up my son and said that some other advocate, who is much junior to me in the legal profession, will represent him at the hearing on Thursday,' Kalyan Banerjee told reporters.
He added that his son Shirshanya Banerjee, also a practising advocate, along with his other juniors, would similarly disengage from all legal matters involving Abhishek Banerjee.
The Ultimatum to Mamata Banerjee
Kalyan Banerjee went further, announcing he would deliver an ultimatum to former West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee to choose between Abhishek Banerjee and those he described as loyalists who remain committed to her leadership.
'I have been in the legal profession for the last 45 years. I will not tolerate Abhishek Banerjee's arrogance. So, I will tell Mamata Banerjee to choose between Abhishek and us. He is solely responsible for the current pathetic condition of Trinamool Congress. But still he is equally arrogant as he was before,' Kalyan Banerjee said.
Wider TMC Context
The public spat comes in the wake of the Trinamool Congress's significant defeat in the recently concluded West Bengal Assembly elections, a result that Kalyan Banerjee attributed squarely to Abhishek Banerjee's leadership. Critics within the party have long pointed to a growing rift between the Mamata Banerjee old guard and the faction aligned with her nephew. This latest episode brings that internal tension into sharp public focus, and signals that the post-election reckoning within TMC is far from over.
How Mamata Banerjee responds to Kalyan Banerjee's ultimatum is likely to set the tone for the party's internal dynamics in the weeks ahead.
Point of View
Rather than internally, suggests the party's post-election disciplinary structures have effectively collapsed. Abhishek Banerjee's reported decision to bypass Kalyan Banerjee in favour of a junior advocate — after Kalyan had already secured a hearing — reads as a deliberate signal of hierarchy. What mainstream coverage underplays is the ultimatum to Mamata Banerjee: it forces her to either publicly back her nephew or validate the veterans' discontent, both of which carry significant political cost.
NationPress
9 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Kalyan Banerjee refuse to represent Abhishek Banerjee in the Calcutta High Court?
Kalyan Banerjee cited persistent arrogant behaviour by Abhishek Banerjee as the reason. The immediate trigger was a late-night phone call made to his son, informing him that a junior advocate would replace him at the scheduled hearing — after Kalyan had already secured the urgent hearing date.
What is the case Abhishek Banerjee is fighting in the Calcutta High Court?
Abhishek Banerjee has petitioned the Calcutta High Court challenging summons issued to him by the West Bengal CID in a legislators' signature mismatch case. The petition also seeks interim protection from coercive police action, including arrest.
Who represented Abhishek Banerjee at the 11 June hearing?
Advocate Ayan Bhattacharya represented Abhishek Banerjee before the single-judge vacation bench of Justice Kaushik Chanda on 11 June, after Kalyan Banerjee withdrew.
What ultimatum has Kalyan Banerjee given to Mamata Banerjee?
Kalyan Banerjee has said he will ask Mamata Banerjee to choose between Abhishek Banerjee and those who remain loyal to her. He accused Abhishek of being solely responsible for TMC's poor performance in the recent West Bengal Assembly elections.
Will Kalyan Banerjee's son also withdraw from Abhishek Banerjee's cases?
Yes. Kalyan Banerjee's son Shirshanya Banerjee, also a practising advocate, along with Kalyan Banerjee's other juniors, will reportedly no longer be associated with any legal matter concerning Abhishek Banerjee.
