Suvendu Adhikari said he approached court after Mamata Banerjee failed to respond to a legal notice demanding proof for public allegations linking him to an alleged coal scam.
West Bengal opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari on Friday moved court against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, filing a Rs 100 crore defamation suit over what he described as “imaginary and vile” allegations linking him to an alleged coal scam.
In a post on social media, Adhikari said he had filed the suit before the court of the civil judge (senior division) at Alipore after Banerjee failed to respond to a legal notice he had served earlier this month.
“I honour my commitments while you obfuscate issues and people,” Adhikari wrote, addressing the chief minister directly. “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.”
Adhikari said he had followed through on his warning after Banerjee did not reply within the stipulated time. “I kept my word of dragging you to court for your deceitful misadventures and filed suit against you today,” he said.
He also claimed that if the court awarded damages, the money would be given away. “Please get in touch with your learned advocates early or else you will have to soon pay Rs100 crore as damages to me, which in turn I will be donating to charity,” he wrote.
The BJP leader had earlier sent a defamation notice to Banerjee through his advocate, accusing her of publicly linking him and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to an alleged coal scam during statements made on January 8 and 9. According to Adhikari, Banerjee claimed she had evidence but failed to place any material on record.
In the notice, Adhikari had given the chief minister 72 hours to substantiate her allegations, warning that legal action would follow if she did not.
