Abhishek sends legal notice to Suvendu, seeks unconditional apology

Kolkata: Abhishek Banerjee, president of the All India Trinamool Youth Congress and party's MP, has sent a legal notice to BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday for allegedly making malicious and defamatory statements against him during a public meeting at Khejuri in East Midnapore and later in an interview with a vernacular news channel.

Adhikari has been asked to refrain from making such comments as well as withdraw the alleged defamatory statement and issue an unconditional apology within 36 hours.

Adhikari, in a public meeting on January 19 at Khejuri, had called Abhishek an extortionist.

On Thursday, Abhishek's lawyer Sanjay Basu mentioned in the notice that Adhikari is casting aspersions upon his client who does not have a single criminal proceeding pending against him. Whereas Adhikari is accused in several cases, including Saradha chit fund scam and Narada case, which are being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

Basu in his notice clearly mentioned that Adhikari, in a bid to avoid public scrutiny of his misdeeds, has maliciously sought to deflect the same towards Abhishek.

In the notice, he stated "in the aforesaid circumstances, I on behalf of my client call upon you to forthwith cease and desist from repeating or making such statements and further withdraw the defamatory statements and issue an unconditional apology to my client within 36 hours of receipt of this notice. In the event you fail to comply with the same, my client shall be constrained to initiate appropriate proceedings against you both civil and/or criminal, in accordance with law, without any further notice."