Delhi HC Closes Mahua Moitra's Interim Plea After Nishikant Dubey Deletes Defamatory Post

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey Removes Facebook Post, Advocate Dehadrai Assures Deletion of Tweet​

New Delhi, May 12 — The Delhi High Court has disposed of Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra’s interim plea in her ongoing defamation case against BJP MP Nishikant Dubey and advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai, after it was confirmed that the allegedly defamatory social media posts had been or would be removed.

Justice Manmeet PS Arora passed the order on May 9 following submissions from the defendants. Dubey’s counsel informed the court that his client had deleted the contentious Facebook post, while Dehadrai, who had shared a related tweet on X (formerly Twitter), appeared before the court and gave an undertaking to remove the same.

“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 noted.

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Allegations Stemming from CBI Complaint and Ethics Panel Probe​

Moitra had approached the court claiming that she was aggrieved by the Facebook post made by Dubey and a tweet by Dehadrai that contained a screenshot of the same post. The content was linked to a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) complaint involving her and a case pending with the Lokpal of India.

Dubey’s counsel argued that the post was based on a Lokpal judgment tied to a complaint he had filed against Moitra. The BJP leader also contended that Moitra had provoked him by using derogatory terms and suggestive language.

In response, Moitra’s counsel clarified in court that the allegedly objectionable words in her social media comments did not pertain to Dubey, a statement the court officially recorded and to which Moitra is now bound.

Background of the Defamation Suit​

The interim plea was part of Moitra’s larger defamation suit, filed in 2023, against Dubey and Dehadrai over allegations that she had accepted bribes from businessman Darshan Hiranandani, CEO of the Hiranandani Group, in exchange for raising specific questions in Parliament.

Dubey had cited a letter from Dehadrai claiming to contain "irrefutable" evidence of these alleged transactions. The issue led to a recommendation by the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee for Moitra’s expulsion, which was enforced on December 8, 2023.

In her suit, Moitra sought to prevent the defendants from making or publishing any further false or defamatory content against her and also demanded a public apology.

With the latest deletions and undertakings, the court concluded that the interim relief no longer warranted further consideration.