Delhi HC junks Mahua Moitra’s plea for interim relief against defamatory content

The TMC MP from Krishnanagar was expelled on December 8 over cash-for-query charges.

The Delhi high court on Monday dismissed Trinamool Congress (TMC) member of Parliament Mahua Moitra’s plea seeking to restrain BJP MP Nishikant Dubey and lawyer Jai Dehadrai from posting or circulating any “fake and defamatory” content against her.

“I have dismissed the injunction application,” a bench of justice Sachin Datta said while pronouncing the order.

The court while reserving verdict in Mahua’s plea in December had also asked counsels for Dubey and Dehadrai to place on record the relevant paragraphs of the Lok Sabha ethics committee report that dealt with this aspect, amidst the discrepancy between the parties on the issue of the expelled leader taking cash from the businessman Darshan Hiranandani as a sequel to the “quid pro quo”.

The expelled TMC MP had filed a suit for permanently restraining Dubey and Dehadrai, along with several media organisations, from making, publishing and circulating defamatory, false and malicious statements designed to damage her reputation.

She had also sought to direct Dehadrai to withdraw the letter dated October 14, 2023, written to Dubey.

The TMC leader in the interim plea had also urged to restrain Dubey and Dehadrai from acting on their behalf from making posting uploading, distributing any false defamatory content and had also sought for removal of the alleged defamatory content posted against her on social media, including photos, videos, letter and publications.

Dubey appearing through advocate Abhimanyu Bhandari submitted that she herself had admitted the fact of sharing her login ID and password to Hiranandani in press, adding that there was quid pro quo between the expelled leader and the businessman.

Jai, appearing through senior advocate Sanjoy Ghose, submitted that there was semblance of truth in the October 14 letter since even the Lok Sabha ethics committee in its report had stated that the allegations of Mahua accepting illegal gratification from Hiranandani were clearly established and were undeniable.

Moitra, appearing through advocate Samudra Sarangi, submitted that the October 14 letter which was written by Dehadrai to Dubey was made public to the media for political gains with an intention to tarnish her image.

“Letter (14th October) contains ex facie defamatory statements & there is a larger political controversy,” the counsel had submitted.

He also added that allegations of quid pro quo were not established between Mahua and Hiranandani.

The TMC MP from Krishnanagar was expelled on December 8 over cash-for-query charges.

She alleged “substantial illegality” and “arbitrariness” by the House’s ethics committee, which recommended the action against her.

Read more news like this on HindustanTimes.com