New Delhi, July 30, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Trinamool Congress general secretary and Lok Sabha MP Abhishek Banerjee has approached the Supreme Court challenging the Calcutta High Court’s refusal to immediately allow him to travel abroad for ophthalmic treatment.
Banerjee has filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) before the apex court against the High Court proceedings, where he had sought permission to travel overseas for treatment related to his eye condition. The plea has been registered as SLP(Crl) Nos. 13555-13556/2026 and is pending consideration.
According to the Supreme Court’s case status, the matter is likely to come up for hearing on August 3.
The Diamond Harbour MP had moved the Calcutta High Court stating that he had been receiving ophthalmic treatment in the United States for nearly a decade after suffering serious eye injuries in a road accident in 2016.
However, on July 20, Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya of the High Court declined to grant immediate permission for foreign travel and directed Banerjee to first undergo an examination by specialists at the state-run S.S.K.M. Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.
The court said a further decision on his request would be taken after considering the report of a medical board to be constituted by the head of the ophthalmology department at S.S.K.M.
The West Bengal government had opposed Banerjee’s plea, arguing that several cases involving him were pending and that allowing him to travel abroad could affect ongoing investigations.
The proceedings are linked to allegations that Banerjee made speeches inciting hate and violence during campaigning for the West Bengal Assembly elections, including remarks allegedly directed at Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Earlier, the Calcutta High Court had granted him interim protection from coercive police action, including arrest, with a condition requiring prior court permission for overseas travel. While refusing immediate permission for foreign treatment, the court extended the interim protection until October 6 and directed him to continue cooperating with the investigation.
Banerjee, who is the nephew of former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, had initially approached the High Court on June 23 seeking seven days’ permission to travel abroad for treatment. He had suffered eye injuries in a road accident in October 2016 while returning to Kolkata from a political programme in Murshidabad.
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