Defamation case: HC lifts stay on arrest warrant against Abhishek Banerjee

The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Wednesday lifted an interim stay on the execution of an arrest warrant issued against Trinamool Congress (TMC) general secretary and MP Abhishek Banerjee in a defamation case filed by BJP leader Akash Vijayvargiya.

The order is expected to add to the legal challenges facing Banerjee, who is already under the scanner of the Enforcement Directorate in connection with alleged corruption cases.

A single bench of justice Pramod Kumar Agarwal dismissed Banerjee's petition challenging the warrant and vacated the stay granted in November 2025. The court also directed that a copy of the order be sent to the MP-MLA court in Bhopal.

The defamation complaint was filed in 2021 by former Indore MLA Akash Vijayvargiya, son of senior BJP leader and Madhya Pradesh minister Kailash Vijayvargiya. The complaint stemmed from remarks allegedly made by Banerjee during a political rally in Kolkata in November 2020, where he reportedly referred to Akash Vijayvargiya as a "goon".

Following the issuance of the arrest warrant by the special MP-MLA court, Banerjee had approached the high court, arguing that as a sitting Member of Parliament he was unlikely to abscond and therefore did not warrant arrest. Accepting the plea, the high court had stayed execution of the warrant on 12 November 2025.

However, during Wednesday's hearing, no one appeared on behalf of the TMC leader.

Taking serious note of the absence, justice Agarwal observed in the order that it appeared the petitioner had "lost interest" in pursuing the matter. The court subsequently dismissed the petition and lifted the protection granted earlier.

The development clears the way for the arrest warrant issued by the Bhopal court to be executed, unless Banerjee secures relief from a higher judicial forum.

With PTI inputs