The All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Wednesday, 10 June moved the Calcutta High Court, challenging what it described as unlawful raids and search operations carried out by the West Bengal Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at two party offices the previous day. The petition relates to the ongoing investigation into an alleged mismatch in the signatures of several TMC legislators on a resolution concerning key opposition-bench appointments in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly.

What the Petition Argues

The petition was filed before the single-judge vacation bench of Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya on Wednesday morning by Kalyan Banerjee, a four-time Lok Sabha member and senior advocate of the party. Banerjee contended that the CID conducted raids and search operations in the absence of the main witnesses in the case, and that investigators scanned important party documents at both offices during the simultaneous operations.

The petition further argued that the CID proceeded with the raids despite knowing that the first hearing on a separate petition filed by Abhishek Banerjee — TMC general secretary and Lok Sabha member — challenging his CID summons, was scheduled for the same Wednesday. Critics within the party characterised the timing as deliberately coercive.

Court's Initial Response

Justice Bhattacharyya admitted the TMC petition, and the matter is listed for hearing on Thursday. Separately, Abhishek Banerjee's earlier petition — which challenges the CID summons and seeks protection from coercive police action, including arrest — will also be heard on Thursday by a different single-judge bench presided over by Justice Kaushik Chanda.

Where the Raids Were Conducted

On Tuesday afternoon, CID personnel conducted simultaneous operations at two locations: a party office adjacent to the residence of former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at Kalighat in South Kolkata, and another office on Camac Street in central Kolkata from which Abhishek Banerjee — also Mamata Banerjee's nephew — reportedly operated.

Background: The Signatures Mismatch Case

The CID probe centres on alleged discrepancies in the signatures of certain TMC legislators on a resolution related to appointments for positions reserved for the opposition in the West Bengal assembly. Abhishek Banerjee had reportedly not complied with three previous CID notices for interrogation in connection with the case before the party sought judicial relief.

What Happens Next

Both petitions — the TMC's challenge to the raids and Abhishek Banerjee's challenge to the summons — will be heard on Thursday, setting up a potentially significant legal confrontation between the ruling party and the state's own investigative agency. The outcome could determine the scope of the CID's authority to pursue the probe and the extent of judicial protection available to those summoned.