West Bengal LoP Suvendu Adhikari sent a legal notice to CM Mamata Banerjee over her allegations linking him to a coal scam. He has demanded evidence within 72 hours, threatening defamation proceedings if she fails to comply.
West Bengal Leader of Opposition (LoP) Suvendu Adhikari on Friday sent a legal notice to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, demanding that she produce evidence of her claims within 72 hours and prove the allegations she made against him regarding the coal smuggling case. Adhikari said that failure to do so would compel him to initiate appropriate civil and criminal proceedings for defamation.
In a post shared on X, Adhikari said that the Chief Minister’s allegations were made in a “desperate attempt to divert attention” from the ongoing Enforcement Directorate (ED) investigation. He added that the claims were defamatory, politically motivated, and damaging to public discourse, and said that he would pursue legal remedies if evidence was not produced within the deadline. “Today, CM Mamata Banerjee, in a desperate attempt to divert attention from an ongoing ED investigation, made absolutely baseless defamatory allegations against me, linking me to an ‘alleged’ coal scam alongside the Hon’ble Union Home Minister. These reckless statements, laced with personal insults, were made publicly without any shred of evidence. Such unsubstantiated claims not only tarnished my reputation but also undermine the dignity of public discourse. Today, through my Advocate, I have served a Legal Notice demanding that she provide all purported evidence within 72 hours. If she fails to do so, I will pursue appropriate Civil and Criminal actions for Defamation,” Adhikari’s X post read. Today, CM Mamata Banerjee, in a desperate attempt to divert attention from an ongoing ED investigation, made absolutely baseless defamatory allegations against me, linking me to an ‘alleged’ coal scam alongside the Hon’ble Union Home Minister. These reckless statements, laced… pic.twitter.com/bCNtb4XcW7 — Suvendu Adhikari (@SuvenduWB) January 9, 2026
Banerjee’s Allegations Spark Legal Action
The legal notice, sent through advocate Suryaneel Das, comes after Mamata Banerjee publicly alleged that Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Suvendu Adhikari were involved in the alleged coal scam, claiming that money from the scam was routed to Amit Shah through Adhikari. The Chief Minister made these remarks while addressing a public gathering amid protests against the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raid in Kolkata’s I-PAC office on Thursday.
In the notice, Adhikari termed the Chief Minister’s statements as “reckless, baseless, and wholly unsubstantiated,” accusing her of making defamatory allegations without producing any evidence. He also objected to what he described as personal and distasteful remarks aimed at maligning his reputation and dignity as a public representative.
The notice calls upon the Chief Minister to furnish all documents, materials, and purported evidence supporting her claims within the stipulated 72-hour period. “It has come to the knowledge of my client that on 08.01.2026 and again on 09.01.2026, you have made reckless, baseless, and wholly unsubstantiated allegations against my client by publicly insinuating that my client, along with the Union Home Minister of India, is involved in an alleged coal scam. You have further claimed that you are in possession of evidence in support of such allegations…On the contrary, my client states that such statements appear to be part of a calculated and sinister design to divert public attention from serious issues concerning you, your family members, and your political party, which are presently engaging public scrutiny…,” the notice read.
‘Money Goes Through Suvendu to Amit Shah’: Mamata’s Claim
This comes after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, while addressing a gathering, said, “You know who is sitting in the Election Commission. He was the Cooperation Department Secretary of Amit Shah. I have no issues with that. If Gyanesh Kumar is vanishing votes, why will I stay quiet? If the voter’s rights are snatched, I will snatch your rights. TMC MPs have been dragged mercilessly when they were protesting in Delhi. All the agencies have been grabbed. I challenge them that they came to power in Haryana and Bihar forcefully. In one more state, they come to power forcefully. Now they are trying to do this in Bengal. Who gets the coal scam’s money? Amit Shah gets it. The money goes through Suvendu Adhikari. The money goes through BJP leader Jagannath Chattopadhyay to Suvendu Adhikari. Suvendu Adhikari sends it to Amit Shah.”
She further said that she had done nothing wrong by entering the I-PAC office when the ED action was conducting a raid.
BJP Stages Protest Against Chief Minister
Meanwhile, the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) Mahila Morcha on Friday held a protest march from Rabindra Sarovar to Deshapriya Park against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over her recent alleged interference in a raid conducted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Kolkata’s I-PAC office on Thursday. (ANI)
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