Abhishek Banerjee loses interim protection from arrest in 2020 defamation case

Trouble appears to be mounting for Trinamool Congress (TMC) General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee from multiple fronts, with the Madhya Pradesh High Court revoking the interim stay on an arrest warrant issued against the Diamond Harbour MP in a defamation case filed by BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya's son, Akash Vijayvargiya.

Abhishek Banerjee, nephew of former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, is already under investigation by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with alleged corruption charges and a CID probe for allegedly forging party MLAs' signatures to elect West Bengal Leader of Opposition. The latest court order is expected to add to his legal challenges.

A single bench of Justice Pramod Kumar Agarwal on Wednesday dismissed Banerjee’s petition and vacated the interim protection that had earlier stayed the execution of the arrest warrant issued by a special MP-MLA court in Bhopal.

The case originates from a criminal defamation complaint filed in 2021 by former Indore MLA Akash Vijayvargiya, son of senior BJP leader and minister Kailash Vijayvargiya.

According to the complaint, Banerjee allegedly referred to Akash Vijayvargiya as a "goon" while addressing a political rally in Kolkata in November 2020. Claiming that the remark was defamatory and damaged his public reputation, Akash moved the MP-MLA court seeking legal action.

Subsequently, the MP-MLA court issued an arrest warrant against Banerjee, prompting the TMC leader to challenge the order before the High Court.

In his plea before the High Court, Banerjee had argued that as a sitting Member of Parliament, there was no possibility of him absconding and sought protection from coercive action. Taking note of the submissions at the time, the High Court stayed the execution of the arrest warrant on November 12, 2025.

However, during the latest hearing on Wednesday, no one appeared on behalf of Abhishek Banerjee.

Taking serious note of the absence, the bench observed in its order that it appeared the petitioner was no longer interested in pursuing the matter.

The court thereafter lifted the stay on the arrest warrant, dismissed the petition, and directed that a copy of the order be sent immediately to the trial court in Bhopal.

With the High Court’s decision, the arrest warrant issued by the MP-MLA court regains effect, potentially intensifying the legal pressure on the TMC national general secretary as he faces challenges on multiple fronts.

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