A designated MP/MLA court in Bengal issued summons to Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday to appear either personally or through a lawyer before it on February 22 in connection with a defamation case lodged against him by Trinamul Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee.

The special judge of MP/MLA court at Bidhannagar directed that Shah is "required to appear in person/by pleader" at 10 am on that day.

The judge directed that Shah's attendance either personally or through a lawyer is necessary to answer to a charge of defamation under section 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

In a press note, Abhishek Banerjee's lawyer Sanjay Basu claimed that Shah had made certain defamatory statements against the TMC MP on August 11, 2018 at a rally of the BJP at Mayo Road in Calcutta.

Shah had accused Abhishek indirectly of putting money allotted by the Centre during the 14th finance commission in his own “pocket”.

"During the 14th finance commission, the Narendra Modi government allotted Rs. 3,59000 crore to Bengal as compared to Rs. 1.32,000 crore given by the UPA government during the previous finance commission. Where did all the money go? Did it disappear in the pockets of syndicates and the nephew," he had asked.