Madhya Pradesh High Court Restores Abhishek Banerjee’s Plea, Stays Execution of Arrest Warrant in Defamation Case

June 25, 2026 : The Madhya Pradesh High Court has restored a petition filed by All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) MP Abhishek Banerjee challenging the arrest warrant issued against him in a criminal defamation case. The Court has also directed that the execution of the warrant shall remain stayed until further orders.

The order was passed on Wednesday by the single-judge Bench of Justice Pramod Kumar while allowing an application seeking restoration of Banerjee’s petition, which had earlier been dismissed on June 17 for non-prosecution. At the time of dismissal, the Court had vacated the interim protection granted to Banerjee, observing that neither he nor his counsel had appeared on multiple occasions, indicating a lack of interest in pursuing the matter.

Upon restoration of the petition, the High Court revived the proceedings and extended interim protection by staying the execution of the arrest warrant issued by the Special MP/MLA Court in Bhopal until the matter is heard further.

The case arises from a criminal defamation complaint filed by BJP leader Akash Vijayvargiya, son of Union Minister and senior BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya. According to the complaint, Banerjee made defamatory remarks against Akash Vijayvargiya during a public meeting in Kolkata in 2020, allegedly harming his reputation and lowering his public standing.

Based on the complaint, the Special Court dealing with cases involving Members of Parliament and Members of Legislative Assemblies initiated criminal proceedings and later issued an arrest warrant against Banerjee. Challenging both the warrant and the continuation of the criminal proceedings, Banerjee approached the High Court seeking appropriate relief.

With the petition now restored, the High Court has ensured that no coercive action will be taken against Banerjee through the execution of the arrest warrant until further orders, while the legality of the proceedings remains under judicial consideration.