Trinamool MP Menaka Guruswamy did not represent R G Kar accused in court

A collage of two AI-generated images — one of BJP’s candidate for the Panihati seat in Bengal polls and the other of advocate and Trinamool Rajya Sabha member Menaka Guruswamy — is viral on social media. It is claimed that while BJP gave a ticket to the R G Kar rape-and-murder victim’s mother, Trinamool Congress gave a Rajya Sabha membership to Menaka Guruswamy, who was the accused’s lawyer in the case.

Several BJP-aligned leaders and influencers shared the image and amplified the viral claim. Among them was Tajinder Bagga, the national secretary of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha. (Archive)

pic.twitter.com/gOTmQwbikt

— Tajinder Bagga (@TajinderBagga) April 9, 2026

BJP supporter and influencer Arpita Chatterjee, who is followed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on X, also shared the viral image. “This tells you everything about the politics of Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal”, she said. (Archive)

In the battle for West Bengal:
BJP – Stands with the victim.
TMC – Rewards the accused’s lawyer.

This tells you everything about the politics of Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal. pic.twitter.com/iIcraIczkl

— Arpita Chatterjee (@asliarpita) April 9, 2026

Several others amplified the viral claim. (Archives- 1, 2, 3)

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Fact Check

Alt News found that Guruswamy appeared before the Supreme Court as counsel for the West Bengal government, not for the accused.

According to Supreme Court Observer’s coverage of the proceedings, the key parties before the court were the West Bengal government, represented by senior advocate Kapil Sibal and advocate Menaka Guruswamy, and the CBI, represented by solicitor general Tushar Mehta.

The parents of the deceased were initially represented separately by senior advocate Vrinda Grover. According to a The Telegraph report, the size of Bengal’s legal representation drew criticism on social media, with users accusing the state of mobilising its full legal machinery not to seek justice for the victim but to secure a clean chit for itself. This report too mentions Guruswamy as legal counsel on behalf of the state government.

On the other hand, the convicted rapist-murderer, Sanjay Roy, was represented by Kabita Sarkar, a Kolkata-based lawyer who was appointed through the State Legal Services Authority (SALSA) after no private lawyer agreed to take up the case. Sarkar, a legal aid lawyer with around 25 years of experience, was assigned by the Sealdah court under Article 39A of the Constitution, which guarantees free legal representation to those who cannot afford it or whose cases no lawyer will accept voluntarily.

To sum up, Supreme Court lawyer and now-Trinamool Congress MP Menaka Guruswamy did not represent the accused in the R G Kar rape and murder case.