The Supreme Court on Monday permitted Trinamool Congress (TMC) general secretary and Lok Sabha MP Abhishek Banerjee to travel abroad for three weeks for eye treatment, overturning the Calcutta High Court’s decision to deny his request to relax restrictions on his overseas travel.
The order was issued by a bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana. Banerjee had approached the Supreme Court after the Calcutta High Court rejected his plea seeking permission to travel overseas for medical treatment.
In its August 5 order, the High Court had observed that Banerjee had declined to appear before a medical board at a government hospital in Kolkata for an assessment of his condition. The court had said that had he undergone the examination, it could have considered the medical board’s findings to determine whether travelling abroad for treatment was necessary.
Two days earlier, on August 3, the Supreme Court had directed the High Court to hear Banerjee’s plea seeking permission to travel abroad within a week.
The travel restriction is connected to conditions imposed on Banerjee in a case concerning alleged remarks made during a public meeting held amid the West Bengal Assembly elections.
The Calcutta High Court had earlier extended Banerjee’s interim protection from coercive action in the case until October 6. While granting the extension, the court directed him to cooperate with the investigation and continue to seek judicial permission before travelling abroad.
The protection was extended until October 6 or until further orders, whichever came earlier. The High Court also said Banerjee’s plea seeking modification of the conditions attached to his interim protection would be considered in August, although no specific hearing date had initially been fixed.
Banerjee has also sought the cancellation of the FIR registered against him in the case.
