Madhya Pradesh HC lifts stay on Banerjee arrest warrant

The Madhya Pradesh High Court has lifted an interim stay on an arrest warrant issued against Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee in a defamation case, a decision that could intensify his legal challenges. The court's ruling on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, came after Banerjee's legal counsel failed to appear for a scheduled hearing.

Justice Pramod Kumar Agarwal of the single bench dismissed Banerjee's petition and vacated the stay that had been granted on November 12, 2025. The court noted that no representative appeared on behalf of the petitioner, stating it appeared Banerjee had lost interest in pursuing the matter. The bench directed its order to be sent immediately to the trial court in Bhopal.

The arrest warrant was originally issued by the Special MPMLA Court in Bhopal due to Banerjee's repeated non-representation at hearings. The defamation case stems from a political rally in Kolkata in November 2020, where Banerjee, the national general secretary of the Trinamool Congress and nephew of former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, allegedly referred to Akash Vijayvargiya as a "goon."

Akash Vijayvargiya, the son of senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Madhya...