Kolkata, Oct. 13 -- The Calcutta High Court has declined to take up urgently a plea by MAITC MP Abhishek Banerjee seeking restrictions on media coverage of investigations and cases involving him, with the matter likely to be heard in December 2026.
When the petition was mentioned before Justice Saugata Bhattacharya, the court said it would not be possible to hear the matter before the Puja vacation. The plea will, therefore, be placed in the monthly list for December 2026.
Banerjee has alleged that information relating to ongoing investigations, including details of his interrogation and other investigative steps, was being leaked to media organisations. According to his plea, such disclosures have resulted in a media trial, harmed his reputation and raised concerns about his right to a fair investigation.
The matter was earlier mentioned before Justice Krishna Rao on October 8. However, the single-judge bench declined to entertain it, observing that the petition should be placed before the appropriate bench having jurisdiction over matters concerning police action.
Banerjee's counsel had argued that investigating agencies should not disclose details of an ongoing investigation to the media. The lawyer sought directions to prevent the circulation of investigation-related information that could prejudice the proceedings and damage the MP's reputation.
The court had granted Banerjee liberty to approach the appropriate bench.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.