In a surprising twist to the ongoing legal battle, Mahua Moitra’s lawyer has withdrawn from her defamation case against allegations of ‘cash-for-query.’ The case, originally scheduled for a hearing in Delhi High Court, has been postponed to October 31 following this unexpected development.
The lawyer’s decision to withdraw was prompted by the court’s concerns regarding a ‘conflict of interest.’ Advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai, representing Mahua Moitra, informed the court that Gopal Sankarnarayan, her lawyer, had contacted him to discuss withdrawing his complaint against the Trinamool leader. This contact raised eyebrows and questions about Sankarnarayan’s role in the matter.
This unexpected turn of events stems from an ongoing personal dispute between Mahua Moitra and Jai Anant Dehadrai, related to their pet Rottweiler, Henry. Over the past six months, Moitra has filed multiple police complaints against Dehadrai, including allegations of criminal trespass, theft, vulgar messages, and abuse.
Furthermore, Jai Anant Dehadrai had provided alleged evidence to BJP leader Nishikant Dubey, suggesting that Moitra had accepted cash in exchange for raising questions in Parliament. This revelation added a layer of complexity to the already contentious legal battle.
During the court proceedings, Supreme Court lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai brought up the ‘conflict of interest’ issue. Justice Sachin Datta expressed his dismay at Sankarnarayan’s involvement in the case, especially since he seemed to have played the role of a mediator. The judge left the decision to Sankarnarayan, who promptly chose to withdraw from the case.
In his response, Sankarnarayan stated, “I had reached out to him (Jai Anant Dehadrai) yesterday, that is correct. I asked him is there any way of exploring a settlement, that’s all the conversation was about. Jai said he would get back to me, but he didn’t. I am no longer concerned with this case and have withdrawn from it.”
The court has rescheduled the matter for further hearing on October 31, after the Dusshera break.
In this defamation case, Mahua Moitra, the Lok Sabha MP representing Krishnanagar in West Bengal, is seeking a permanent injunction against Nishikant Dubey, Jai Anant Dehadrai, social media platform X, search engine Google, and YouTube. She aims to restrain them from making, publishing, and circulating defamatory and malicious statements about her.
Industrialist Darshan Hiranandani has also supported the allegations against Moitra, claiming that he bribed her to ask questions in Parliament. Moitra has strongly refuted these claims, alleging that the Prime Minister’s Office pressured Hiranandani into signing the affidavit and releasing it to the media.
Sources By Agencies
