By IANS,
Kolkata : A court here Tuesday took cognisance of a defamation case filed against West Bengal Housing Minister Gautam Deb for alleging that the Trinamool Congress was using black money to fund its election expenses.
“We had sent a legal notice to him (Gautam Deb). We haven’t received any reply yet, so we decided to approach the court,” Trinamool leader and union Minister of State for Shipping Mukul Roy said outside the court.
“We have filed a case of criminal defamation. After hearing our plea the honourable court took cognisance and ordered that the process be started,” added Roy.
According to Roy’s lawyer, Gautam Deb made defamatory statements against Trinamool chief and Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee and Mukul Roy, against which a case has been filed.
The court has ordered Gautam Deb to appear before it May 26, the lawyer said.
Deb had accused the Trinamool Congress of using black money for the West Bengal assembly elections and alleged that fake coupons were issued to show the money was collected from the public.
He had also claimed April 16 that all this was done at the behest of Banerjee and Roy.
Six-phased assembly elections are being held in West Bengal April 18-May 10. The results will be declared May 13.