The Delhi High Court has summoned Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra in response to a defamation suit brought forth by lawyer and former associate Jai Anant Dehadrai.bjp
In a recent ruling, the court denied Moitra interim relief in a defamation case involving BJP MP Nishikant Dubey and Dehadrai. The case revolved around allegedly defamatory content shared on social media regarding accusations of "cash-for-query" against Moitra.
Moitra, who was expelled from her Lok Sabha MP position on December 8, faced accusations of receiving cash for raising questions in the House on behalf of Darshan Hiranandani, the CEO of Hiranandani Group.
Now, Dehadrai's suit contends that Moitra made defamatory remarks against him on various social media platforms, as well as in print and electronic media.
Justice Prateek Jalan has issued summons to five media houses and social media platforms X and Google LLC. Moitra is instructed to respond to Dehadrai's plea for interim relief, with further proceedings scheduled for April 8. Dehadrai is seeking Rs 2 crore in damages and aims to prohibit Moitra from publishing additional defamatory material against him on social media.
During the hearing, Dehadrai's counsel, advocate Raghav Awasthi, highlighted the urgency of the matter, emphasizing the impact of the alleged defamatory statements on Dehadrai's legal practice.
Justice Jalan emphasized that in such cases, both parties often appear as warring factions, neither solely victim nor perpetrator, with a significant portion of the battle fought outside the courtroom.
The judge has also referred the matter to the judge in charge to decide whether Dehadrai's suit should be adjudicated by the same bench handling Moitra's suit.
Dehadrai asserts that his motive for filing the complaint against Moitra was to address concerns regarding national security and corruption. However, Moitra portrayed him as a "revengeful ex-partner" aiming to settle scores from a past relationship.
The suit claims that Moitra's statements have tarnished Dehadrai's reputation among his family, friends, and legal colleagues, raising doubts about his character and integrity.
Moitra had previously filed a legal notice against Dubey, Dehadrai, and several media outlets, refuting any wrongdoing. Dubey's counsel argued that Moitra committed perjury and shared her Parliament login credentials.
These legal actions stemmed from allegations made by Dubey, who claimed that Moitra accepted bribes for raising questions in Parliament, based on a letter from Dehadrai. Moitra had filed police complaints against Dehadrai, later withdrawing them due to settlement talks.
Moitra's legal notice accused Dubey and Dehadrai of tarnishing her reputation for personal and political gains.
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