The Calcutta High Court has taken strong exception to Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Abhishek Banerjee's alleged remarks questioning the impartiality of judges and suggesting that some members of the judiciary were politically aligned with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Justice Krishna Rao made the observations on Thursday, November 12, 2026, while hearing Banerjee's petition challenging the West Bengal government's decision to downgrade his security cover from Z+ to X category. The Court eventually reserved its order on the petition.
Background
Banerjee approached the High Court after his Z+ security cover, which he had received since 2013, was reduced to X category on May 12, following the change of government in West Bengal.
Appearing for Banerjee, Senior Advocate Shoeb Alam submitted that the downgrade was made without a proper decision by the competent Security Review Committee. He further claimed that Banerjee and his family had faced six attacks following the reduction in protection and that their representations seeking enhanced security had not received adequate consideration.
The State opposed the petition, arguing that security protection of a particular category could not be claimed as a matter of right.
During the hearing, Additional Advocate General Billwadal Bhattacharya brought Banerjee's media interview to the Court's attention, alleging that his statements questioned judicial impartiality and amounted to criminal contempt.
Responding to the allegations, Justice Krishna Rao questioned Banerjee's claims and remarked:
"If your client believes that judges are politically aligned with the BJP or TMC, he should identify them by name. His remarks appear to suggest that he is evaluating the performance of judges as though preparing their Annual Confidential Reports."
The Court also observed that if Banerjee was dissatisfied with any judicial order, he could approach another Bench or the Supreme Court instead of making public allegations against judges.
However, Justice Rao clarified that the controversy surrounding the interview would not affect the security petition, observing:
"The statements published in the media will not influence the hearing of this writ petition. I will independently consider all the relevant aspects before delivering my order."
After hearing the submissions from both sides, the Calcutta High Court reserved its order on Banerjee's petition challenging the downgrade of his security cover.
The Court also clarified that the controversy over his remarks would not prejudice the adjudication of his security-related grievance.
