New Delhi: Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee has moved the Supreme Court challenging a Calcutta High Court order denying him permission to travel abroad for eye treatment.
The high court had August 5 dismissed Banerjee’s plea seeking nod to travel abroad, noting that the Diamond Harbour MP was not willing to appear before the medical board at the state-run SSKM Hospital the next day for an assessment of his medical condition.
In view of the submission made on behalf of the applicant (Banerjee) that the applicant will not appear before the medical board at SSKM Hospital, Kolkata, this court finds the issue which is agitated before this court by filing application… ought not to be kept pending further, the High Court had said while dismissing his application.
It noted that had Banerjee appeared before the medical board, then based on the opinion furnished by the medical experts, the issue could have been examined by the court in order to find out whether he needed to go abroad for treatment or not.
August 3, the apex court had asked the Calcutta High Court to take up within a week Banerjee’s plea seeking permission to travel abroad for eye treatment.
The top court was then told by senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for Banerjee, that the plea sought modification of the high court order to allow the MP to travel for medical treatment.
The high court had earlier extended till October 6 Banerjee’s interim protection from coercive action in a case related to alleged comments against leaders and workers of a rival party at a public meeting April 27 in the run-up to the second phase of the West Bengal assembly polls.
Granting relief, the high court had directed Banerjee to cooperate with the probe and not travel abroad without the court’s permission as previously ordered.
The high court had extended the interim protection to Banerjee till October 6, or until further orders, whichever is earlier and said the TMC leader’s plea for modification of conditions for granting him interim protection would be heard in August, but did not fix any date.
Maintaining that the court was not inclined to allow the petitioner to travel abroad while the investigation was underway, the high court had earlier said there were several reputed eye clinics in Kolkata.
The TMC leader had prayed for quashing the FIR against him.
