Amit Malviya had filed the defamation suit on June 8, demanding an "unconditional apology" from Sinha.

Days after Amit Malviya, the head of BJP’s IT cell, filed a defamation suit against him, Kolkata-based lawyer Santanu Sinha clarified that his social media post, which mentioned sexual exploitation of women, was not intended to defame Malviya. Sinha explained that his post was meant as a warning to Malviya about the danger of being honey-trapped.

“I want to give a clear message that the post was not aimed to malign Malviya but as caution not to get entangled in a honey trap, which was first brought to light by Tathagata Roy, ex-president of the State unit and former governor of Tripura,” Santanu Sinha said in a post on social media on Tuesday.

“No corner in the post there is any whisper about sexual exploitation of women by Amit Malviya. Rather I have there expressed my fear that Malviya will be drawn to a honey trap by the unscrupulous leaders of the party to remain clung to their post despite such debacle in the recently held election,” he added.

Sinha also alleged that the Congress was running a “hate campaign” against Amit Malviya.

“It is a great chagrin to me that the nastiest and most corrupted political party of the country, the Indian National Congress is spreading hate campaign against Amit Malaviya and BJP,” he wrote in his statement.

The RSS member refused to retract his post, arguing that he hadn’t written anything inappropriate.

“I, a Sangha Swayam Sevak, former State Secretary of ABVP and contestant in the State Assembly election and in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation election, do not want the Bharatiya Janata Party and its office bearers get undermined in any manner by misinterpretation of my post,” Sinha added.

The Congress demanded that Amit Malviya be sacked over Sinha’s June 7 post on Facebook.

“An RSS member, Shantanu Sinha, related to BJP leader Rahul Sinha, has said that the BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya, has indulged in nefarious activities. He indulges in the sexual exploitation of women. Not just in 5-star hotels but in BJP offices in West Bengal. The only thing that we seek from the BJP is justice for women,” Congress leader Supriya Shrinate told the media.

Amit Malviya had filed the defamation suit on June 8, demanding an “unconditional apology” and removal of the “defamatory statement”. He also sought Rs 10 crore as civil damages for causing “mental harassment”.

“The nature of allegations are extremely offensive in as much as they falsely allege sexual misconduct purportedly committed by my client. The same is fatally injurious to the dignity and reputation of my client, who, by virtue of his professional profile, is a public figure. Such malevolently malicious statements have been deliberately made to tarnish his reputation,” the notice read.