In a surprising turn of events, Trinamool Congress Member of Parliament, Mahua Moitra, witnessed her legal counsel withdrawing from a high-profile defamation case concerning allegations of bribery for parliamentary queries. The lawyer cited a “conflict of interest” as the reason behind his exit from the case. The subsequent hearing has been scheduled for October 31.
Notably, Supreme Court lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai, who had provided purported ‘evidence’ to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament Nishikant Dubey against Moitra, took the stand at the Delhi High Court. He revealed that senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, representing the Trinamool leader, had approached him, seeking the withdrawal of a complaint lodged with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against Moitra.
“The senior advocate called me yesterday and asked me to withdraw the CBI complaint in exchange for the return of the dog,” Dehadrai disclosed, referring to the ongoing dispute between Moitra and himself over the custody of their pet Rottweiler, Henry.
This revelation invoked a strong reaction from Justice Sachin Datta, who exclaimed, “I’m appalled.” The judge raised concerns regarding the communication between Moitra’s lawyer and the opposing party, asking, “If you tried to play the mediator, how are you eligible to appear in this case as counsel for the plaintiff?”
Sankaranarayanan, confronted with the judge’s query, opted to withdraw from the case.
Following this development, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, who has pressed for an inquiry into what he regards as a reminiscent episode of the 2005 cash-for-question scandal, took to Twitter to express his concerns. He mentioned that immediate action was warranted to address what he perceived as an attempt to influence a corruption whistleblower. The Lok Sabha Speaker was tagged in his tweet.
The controversy initially sparked when Dubey accused Moitra of accepting bribes from a businessman in exchange for asking specific questions in Parliament. He urged Speaker Om Birla to initiate an inquiry committee to investigate the allegations. Speaker Birla subsequently referred Dubey’s complaint to Parliament’s Ethics Committee.
Dubey claimed to have received a letter from Dehadrai containing “irrefutable” evidence of monetary inducements given to Moitra. In his letter to Birla, Dubey asserted that a significant portion of the questions raised by Moitra in the Lok Sabha primarily focused on the Adani Group, a conglomerate that she has previously accused of impropriety.
The discord escalated with Moitra pointing fingers at a “Fake Degree MP” and her “jilted ex” as the source of the controversy. In her plea filed with the Delhi High Court on October 17, she vehemently denied the allegations, asserting that they were a deliberate attempt to tarnish her reputation.
The Delhi High Court subsequently heard Moitra’s petition seeking an injunction against Dubey, Dehadrai, and several social media platforms and media outlets from disseminating false and defamatory content about her.