Anand Dehadrai Withdraws Defamation Suit Against Mahua Moitra
Advocate Jai Anand Dehadrai on Thursday withdrew the defamation case against Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra in Delhi High Court and five news outlets over the former’s “defamatory statements” against him.
Dehadrai initially filed a suit in response to what he alleged were defamatory statements made by Moitra against him on social media platforms as well as print and electronic media. The statements reportedly involved disparaging remarks about Dehadrai’s professional and personal conduct.
The counsel appearing for Dehadrai during the hearing said that he is ready to withdraw the suit “if Moitra makes a statement that she will not make statements against him which are palpably false,” the Bar and Bench reported.
Dehadrai alleged that the former MP from West Bengal made defamatory comments against him and said in interviews with the media that he is “jobless” and “jilted”. The advocate who appeared for Mahua Moitra said that he would obtain instructions on the same.
My fight to reveal the criminal conspiracy against the Hon’ble Prime Minister @narendramodi shall continue unabated before the investigating authorities – the CBI, ED and the Hon’ble Lok Pal.
My withdrawal from ongoing defamation proceedings was in respectful and sincere… pic.twitter.com/RTBfP1V9tZ
— Jai Anant Dehadrai (@jai_a_dehadrai) April 25, 2024
The defamation case was filed against Moitra in the Delhi High Court demanding Rs 2 crore in damages from the ex-TMC MP due to alleged abusive and defamatory comments against him. In addition to it, the court has also requested a permanent injunction to have the defamatory content removed from all social media platforms.
The court observed that “if its possible to take the dispute out of the public domain and play it before the statutory authorities or privately then that seems…“.
The defamation suit also sought orders against media organizations CNN News 18, India Today, Gulf News, The Guardian and the Telegraph to take down the defamatory content against him.
The cash-for-query controversy intensified as a parliamentary probe was launched against Moitra in October last year, and this led to her expulsion from the Lok Sabha in December.
