The Delhi High Court has closed an interim application filed by Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader and Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra after being informed that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey had deleted an allegedly defamatory social media post targeting her.
Justice Manmeet PS Arora, while disposing of the matter on May 9, noted that Dubey’s counsel confirmed the removal of the contentious post from Facebook. Additionally, advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai, who had also posted remarks against Moitra on X (formerly Twitter), assured the court that he would delete the concerned post.
“In light of the fact that defendant 1 (Dubey) has already removed the another post from Facebook and that defendant 2 (Dehadrai) has undertaken to remove the impugned post from ‘X’, the relief sought in this application does not survive for consideration. The application is hereby disposed of,” the court observed.
The controversy arose from social media posts relating to a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) case involving Moitra, which was pending with the Lokpal of India. Moitra had claimed that Dubey’s Facebook post and Dehadrai’s tweet, which included a screenshot of the post, were defamatory and damaging to her reputation.
Dubey’s legal team argued that the Facebook post was based on a Lokpal judgment on his complaint against Moitra. They further claimed that Moitra’s prior comments had provoked Dubey, allegedly using derogatory language and innuendo.
Moitra’s counsel clarified in court that any objectionable terms used in Moitra’s own social media responses did not pertain to Dubey. The court accepted this clarification and recorded the statement, holding her to it.
The application was part of an ongoing defamation suit filed by Moitra in 2023. Moitra had sought an injunction to prevent Dubey and Dehadrai from publishing or posting any false or defamatory statements about her on any platform, and had also demanded a public apology.
The defamation suit followed serious allegations made by Dubey, who had accused Moitra of accepting bribes from businessman and Hiranandani Group CEO Darshan Hiranandani in exchange for asking parliamentary questions. Dubey cited a letter from Dehadrai, who allegedly shared “irrefutable” evidence supporting the bribery claims.
