Criminal defamation case filed against Mukul Roy on Biswa Bangla issue

Trinamool Congress MP and party's youth wing chief Abhishek Banerjee on Tuesday filed a criminal defamation case against ex party colleague Mukul Roy at a city court for his previous comment that "Biswa Bangla" was not a state owned brand but a company owned by Banerjee.

The move comes a day after a court in Alipurduar district issued a show cause notice against Roy, a new entrant to the BJP, for allegedly violating the court's injunction.

"Today (Tuesday) I have filed criminal defamation against him in the Bankshal court.

"I filed the civil defamation in the Alipurduar court. But he made those comments in spite of the injunction given by the court. The court has show caused him yesterday," said Banerjee, also the nephew of Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

"If he can prove that I have any connection with the Jago Bangla company and Biswa Bangla company, I will never set foot in the field of politics again. But if he cannot prove what he said, he will have to quit his position and leave Bengal," he demanded.

Controversy erupted when Roy held a press conference on November 10 claiming the Biswa Bangla (the name by which the Chief Minister brands the state) was nothing by a company owned by her nephew.

Following the statement, Banerjee moved to the Alipurduar court against Roy for making "malicious and defamatory" statements against him, based on which the court ordered Roy not to make any public statement against the Trinamool Congress leader.

However, despite the court order, Roy while addressing a press conference in Kolkata had lashed out at Banerjee claiming that he had applied for the ownership of "Biswa Bangla" trademark.

--IANS

mgr/ssp/vd