MP High Court Lifts Stay on Arrest Warrant Against TMC's Abhishek Banerjee

The Madhya Pradesh High Court lifted an interim stay on an arrest warrant against Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, dismissing his petition in a defamation case.

The single bench of Justice Pramod Kumar Agarwal dismissed the plea from Banerjee, who serves as TMC general secretary and is the nephew of former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The decision compounds legal challenges for the TMC leader, who is currently facing an Enforcement Directorate investigation on corruption charges, the Press Trust of India reported.

Justice Agarwal directed that a copy of the dismissal order be sent to the Bhopal court.

Origin Of Defamation Case

Former Indore MLA Akash Vijayvargiya filed the defamation suit in the Bhopal MP-MLA court in 2021. He is the son of senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and minister Kailash Vijayvargiya.

The case stems from a November 2020 rally in Kolkata. The defamation suit alleged that Banerjee called Akash Vijayvargiya a "goon" during his address.

The Bhopal MP-MLA court subsequently issued an arrest warrant against the TMC leader. This action prompted Banerjee to appeal the decision and approach the High Court for relief.

Court Dismisses Inactive Petition

Banerjee argued in his petition that as a Member of Parliament, he was unlikely to abscond. The High Court had previously granted an interim stay on the execution of the arrest warrant on Nov. 12, 2025.

No representative or counsel appeared on behalf of Banerjee during the Wednesday hearing.

Taking serious note of the absence, Justice Pramod Kumar Agarwal said to PTI in the court order, "[It] appears the petitioner has lost interest in pursuing the plea."