Overview
- CID officers visited Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay’s Bhabanipur residence on Saturday and questioned him for about an hour while taking a copy of the disputed resolution that named him as Leader of Opposition.
- The probe began after Uluberia Purba MLA Ritabrata Banerjee and Entally MLA Sandipan Saha filed a police complaint alleging that signatures on the nomination letter were forged, prompting an FIR.
- Investigators have collected handwriting samples, served notices to several MLAs, questioned senior figures including Abhishek Banerjee, and searched party premises such as the Kalighat office.
- The allegations triggered an internal split in the Trinamool Congress that saw Ritabrata Banerjee expelled then later recognised by the Assembly Speaker as Leader of Opposition, a decision now challenged in the Calcutta High Court.
- The outcome of the CID inquiry and court case could affect formal rights of the assembly opposition and deepen strains inside the TMC, with reputational and legal consequences for leaders and rank‑and‑file MLAs.