TMC's Abhishek Banerjee gave a voice sample for a cybercrime probe related to a provocative speech. The move sparked sharp reactions, with an opposition lawyer alleging 'match-fixing' between the state govt and central authorities to protect TMC.

Trinamool Congress National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee appeared at Bidhannagar Court in Salt Lake on Wednesday to give a voice sample to a judicial magistrate. The Calcutta High Court had directed him to cooperate with a cybercrime probe linked to an alleged provocative speech during the assembly election campaign. Heavy police deployment was made at the court premises as the Diamond Harbour MP submitted the sample for forensic analysis.

The development has triggered sharp political reactions, with opposition legal counsels alleging institutional match-fixing between the ruling state government and central authorities to delay the judicial process.

Opposition Alleges Centre-TMC Collusion

Speaking to ANI on the development, Advocate Sabyasachi Chakraborty lashed out at the central investigative agencies and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), claiming that the Trinamool leadership enjoys an unwritten safety net from New Delhi. "The court has ruled that the investigation will proceed, and a condition of the protection granted to Abhishek Banerjee was that he must cooperate with the voice testing," Chakraborty said, pointing to the legal parameters governing the case.

Chakraborty alleged a deliberate operational laxity on the part of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Union government when tackling high-profile TMC leaders. "Over the past few years, we have observed a pattern: whenever the issue involves Abhishek Banerjee, the Central Government and the CBI adopt a lenient stance, allowing the problem to escalate. We have never seen the Central Government take action that would oppose Mamata Banerjee, Abhishek Banerjee, or their party, whether in their official or personal capacities," he asserted.

Highlighting what he termed a systemic political alignment that transcends public posturing, the advocate concluded: "We have witnessed this collusion between the Centre and the State in the past, and even now, with the double-engine government in place, the BJP and RSS continue to shield the TMC."

Separate Defamation Case in Madhya Pradesh

This comes a month after the Madhya Pradesh High Court dismissed a petition filed by Abhishek Banerjee and vacated the interim stay on an arrest warrant issued against him in a defamation case filed by BJP leader Akash Vijayvargiya. The case dates back to November 2020, during a political rally in Kolkata, where Abhishek Banerjee allegedly referred to Akash Vijayvargiya--son of senior BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya--as a "gunda" (goon). Aggrieved by the remark, Akash Vijayvargiya filed a defamation complaint in the Special MP-MLA Court in Bhopal.

During the trial, the Bhopal court took a stern view of Abhishek Banerjee's continuous absence from the hearings. Due to his repeated non-appearance, the MP-MLA Court had issued an arrest warrant against him.

The order passed by Justice Pramod Kumar Agrawal on June 17, 2026, noted, "No one appeared for the petitioner even in the passover round. No one has appeared on behalf of the petitioner in the first round either. It seems that the petitioner has lost interest in prosecuting this petition. Accordingly, the present MCRC stands dismissed for want of prosecution."

"This Court by order dated 12.11.2025, has stayed the proceedings for execution of the arrest warrant issued in Case No.SC PPM/2/2024 by J.M.F.C. and Special Judge, MP/MLA, Bhopal," the order added.

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