Suvendu Adhikari files Rs 100 crore defamation suit against Mamata Banerjee at Alipore court

Kolkata, Jan 16 (PTI) West Bengal opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari on Friday filed a defamation suit against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, seeking Rs 100 crore in damages for allegedly linking him to a coal scam.

In a social media post, Adhikari said he filed the suit before the court of civil judge, senior division, at Alipore court here after not getting a reply to a defamation notice sent to Banerjee.

"Smt Mamata Banerjee, I honour my commitments while you obfuscate issues and people. Your deceptive silence to the defamation notice pertaining to your vile imaginary allegations of my involvement in some alleged coal scam will not help you salvage the situation," the BJP MLA posted on X.

Adhikari was a minister in the Trinamool Congress government before joining the saffron party prior to the 2021 assembly elections in the state.

"I kept my word of dragging you to court for your deceitful misadventure and filed the suit against you today," Adhikari wrote, sharing a photo of the registration of the title suit filed by him.

"Please get in touch with your learned advocates early or else you will have to soon pay Rs 100 crore as damages to me, which in turn I will be donating to charity," Adhikari said.

Adhikari, who earlier sent a legal notice to Banerjee through his advocate, claimed in it that Banerjee had on January 8 and 9 publicly linked him and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to an alleged coal scam while claiming to have evidence, but did not place any material on record.

In the legal notice, Adhikari had asked Banerjee to prove the allegations made by her within 72 hours and that he would file defamation suit against her if she failed to do so. PTI AMR MNB