West Bengal court defers Mamata Banerjee election petition as CID raids Abhishek Banerjee aide

The Calcutta High Court postponed the hearing on former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee's election petition challenging the Bhabanipur Assembly result by six weeks. Banerjee, who lost to BJP candidate and state chief minister Suvendu Adhikari by 15,105 votes, alleged counting irregularities after an early lead. The bench ordered both parties to exchange relevant documents within four weeks before the next hearing.

Separately, a CID team searched the Kolkata residence of Sumit Roy, a former aide to Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee, after the High Court rejected his anticipatory bail in a Salboni government land fraud case. Officers found no one at the premises and will file a report. The investigation, transferred from district police, concerns alleged forged documents used to sell government land.

Both incidents reflect ongoing legal scrutiny of senior Trinamool Congress figures in West Bengal.