Kolkata, 03 July (H.S.) : Trinamool Congress National General Secretary and Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee on Friday failed to secure immediate relief from the Calcutta High Court in connection with the case relating to the collection of his voice sample. The court rejected his plea for an urgent hearing, making it clear that no application in the matter would be heard before Tuesday.

The court directed Banerjee to mention the matter again on Tuesday, after which his request for an expedited hearing would be considered.

Appearing on Banerjee's behalf, senior advocates Sabyasachi Bandyopadhyay and Ayan Bhattacharya urged the bench of Justice Sougata Bhattacharya to take up the matter urgently. They argued that an earlier bench had already indicated that the case required an early hearing. However, Justice Bhattacharya declined the request, stating that no application would be entertained before Tuesday.

The case stems from Banerjee's alleged DJ remark made during the West Bengal Assembly election campaign, which led to allegations that he had made an inflammatory statement. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the West Bengal Police is investigating the case and has maintained that collecting Banerjee's voice sample is necessary for the probe.

The CID had approached the Bidhannagar Court seeking permission to collect the MP's voice sample. On June 30, the court allowed the agency's plea. However, Banerjee did not appear before the court on the scheduled date and subsequently challenged the order before the Calcutta High Court.

In his petition, Banerjee argued that he had never denied that the voice in the disputed audio recording was his. Therefore, he contended, there was no justification for compelling him to provide a fresh voice sample when the identity of the voice itself was not under dispute.

Earlier, a plea for an urgent hearing had also been mentioned before the bench of Justice Tirthankar Ghosh. The judge had declined to grant immediate relief, observing that it was not for the court to dictate to the investigating agency what evidence was or was not required for the investigation. The court had further observed that Banerjee's plea should be heard by the bench where the main matter was pending.

The next significant development in the case is expected on Tuesday, when Banerjee is likely to renew his request for an urgent hearing before the High Court.

Meanwhile, the Bidhannagar Court has directed Banerjee to appear in person on July 8, when the CID is scheduled to collect his voice sample in the presence of a magistrate and forensic experts. The outcome of the High Court proceedings on Tuesday is expected to have a significant bearing on the future course of the investigation.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh