Delhi HC Renotifies Mahua Moitra’s Defamation Suit for Dec 11

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday re-notified the defamation suit filed by Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Mahua Moitra, noting that the formal application under 6(17) CPC was not moved along with the amended suit.

A bench of Justice Sachin Datta renotified the matter for December 11 and directed Moitra’s lawyer to file the proper application following the correct procedure to amend the suit.

During the last hearing, Moitra, through her lawyer Samudra Sarangi, informed the High Court that they are not pressing for any relief in the suit against media houses and social media intermediaries. In response, Justice Sachin Datta asked Moitra’s counsel to file an amended memo of parties along with the amended suit.

Advocate Sidhant Kumar, appearing for a media house, submitted that since the plaintiff is not pressing for relief against the media houses, she must amend the suit accordingly as there are some averments against the media houses.

Nishikant Dubey’s lawyer, Abhimanyu Bhandari, earlier submitted that a businessman had circulated an affidavit claiming to have given expensive gifts to the petitioner.

The Delhi High Court had previously issued notices to the defendants in Moitra’s suit. She became the center of a political controversy after BJP MP Nishikant Dubey complained to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, alleging that she had taken bribes from a business house to ask questions in Parliament.

In response, Moitra stated that she would welcome a probe by the speaker after he dealt with the alleged breach of privilege by other BJP MPs.

Meanwhile, Moitra mentioned on the second day of Parliament’s Winter Session that she is unsure whether the Ethics Committee report, which suggested her removal from the House, will be placed in the House on Tuesday or not.

“Let’s see. It was not on the List of Business. I don’t know whether they will place it or not. If they do so, let them,” Moitra said while speaking to reporters ahead of entering the Parliament on the second day of the Winter session.

The Lok Sabha Ethics Committee, which investigated the allegations made by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, adopted its 500-page report on November 9, recommending Moitra’s expulsion from the 17th Lok Sabha in view of her “highly objectionable, unethical, heinous and criminal conduct.”