Bhopal/Jabalpur: The MP high court on Monday stayed the execution of an arrest warrant issued against Abhishek Banerjee,
Party (TMC) leader for his appearance before a special court in Bhopal.
The warrant arose from a libel suit filed by Akash Vijayvargiya, son of state urban development and housing minister Kailash Vijayvargiya. Justice Pramod Kumar Agarwal also issued notice to Akash Vijayvargiya and deferred the hearing to Dec 8.
Justice Agarwal had reserved judgment on Banerjee's petition seeking cancellation of the arrest warrant issued by the special court designated for the trial of criminal cases against politicians.
The warrant had been issued during the hearing of a complaint by Akash Vijayvargiya, who alleged that Banerjee had called him a ‘gunda' at a public meeting in Nov 2020, in Kolkata.
Following initial hearings, the special court had directed Banerjee's production in court. In his petition to the MP HC, Banerjee said that as a member of Parliament he posed no risk and requested exemption from personal appearance, offering to appear virtually via video conferencing.
After arguments on Nov 12, the bench reserved its judgment. Senior counsel Anil Khare and Manan Agarwal appeared for Abhishek Banerjee.