Kolkata

TheCalcutta High Court on Friday directed Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee to give his voice sample to a judicial magistrate on July 15 in a case over alleged intimidatory statements he made during the West Bengal assembly election campaign.

Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya expressed his displeasure over Banerjee’s delay in providing his voice sample and warned of advancing the hearing of his plea seeking quashing of proceedings in the matter and recalling an order granting the MP protection from coercive action.

The court directed police authorities to ensure that Banerjee is not subjected to egg-pelting or any other harassment when he appears before the jurisdictional court or the investigating agency. Justice Bhattacharyya said Banerjee’s revision petition against a Bidhananagar court directing him to give his voice sample before a magistrate in connection with the probe into the speech case was “dismissed as withdrawn” in view of the prayer by the MP’s counsel.

The court directed the Lok Sabha MP to appear before the judicial magistrate on July 15 at noon to record his voice sample. He was directed to cooperate with the probe and comply with notices by the investigating officer as mentioned in the high court’s May 21 order that granted him protection from coercive action.