Sanchita Chatterjee, BS News Agency: This High Court directive sends ripples through both Tollywood and the political sphere! A legal bombshell has struck Trinamool MLA and Tollywood star Soham Chakraborty right in the midst of his election campaign. This time, it is no longer a battle on the silver screen; the actor finds himself directly in the dock of the Calcutta High Court. A lawsuit has been filed against him alleging a 'loan default' amounting to approximately ₹68 lakh. Considering the gravity of the case, the presiding Justice has already issued a strict directive requiring Soham Chakraborty—or his representative—to appear before the court on April 2nd.
The allegations leveled by the petitioner, Shahid Imam, are extremely serious. This businessman from Hooghly claims that in 2021, Soham Chakraborty borrowed a total of ₹68 lakh from him, in installments, for the production of a film. However, despite the film's release—and the passage of a considerable amount of time since then—he has yet to receive a refund of that money. Shahid Imam makes an explosive claim: "I repeatedly asked for my money back, but every time, I was given the runaround. In fact, when I finally demanded the outstanding dues, I was even subjected to threats." He had previously lodged a complaint to this effect at the Charu Market Police Station.
Notably, the complainant, Shahid Imam, is himself associated with the Trinamool Congress; he was arrested in 2022 in connection with the recruitment corruption scam. It was only after securing bail in 2024 that he embarked on this legal battle against Soham. Offering a sharp rebuttal to Soham Chakraborty's theory of a "political conspiracy," Shahid stated, "When did Soham even enter politics? He joined the party solely for his own self-interest. Our family has been associated with the Congress—and subsequently the Trinamool—since the very inception of these parties. We engage in politics inspired by Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee, not by Soham."
On the other hand, actor-legislator Soham Chakraborty has consistently denied these allegations from the very outset. He maintains that he has not issued any threats to anyone. He had previously informed the media that such allegations were being leveled specifically to tarnish his reputation on the eve of the elections, suggesting that a deep-seated political conspiracy might be at play behind the scenes. However, with the intervention of the High Court, this matter is no longer confined merely to political mudslinging; it has now moved directly under the purview of the legal process. The Calcutta High Court has admitted the case, and the next hearing is scheduled for April 2 (Thursday). The political sphere is closely watching to see what defense Soham Chakraborty—or his counsel—will present to the court on that day. It now remains to be seen whether allegations of such a "financial scam" surfacing just before the elections will have any impact on Soham's public image or his electoral prospects.