BJP MP accused Mahua Moitra of taking bribes to ask questions in Parliament
Source: PTI
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Friday adjourned to October 31 hearing on an application by Lok Sabha TMC MP Mahua Moitra, seeking an injunction against media from publishing defamatory statements, after her counsel, Senior advocate Gopal Shankarnarayan, withdrew himself from the case.
On Friday afternoon, when the case was taken up for hearing in the court of Justice Sachin Datta, estranged partner of Mohua Moitra, advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai, informed the court that last night senior advocate Gopal Shankarnarayan had asked him to withdraw his complaint against Moitra in exchange for his dog.
Dehadrai and Moitra have been close in the past, but their relationship fell apart and they have a running feud between them over the custody of their pet Rotweiler dog.
Senior advocate Gopal Shankarnarayan, who appeared for Moitra, told the court that he had approached Dehadrai as he had been briefed in cases earlier by him and he had told Moitra that he would talk to Dehadrai.
After this disclosure in the court, Justice Datta questioned Shankarnarayan, saying, “It means you have played the role of a mediator, Do you think you can appear in this matter ?”
Also read: BJP MP alleges Mahua Moitra took ‘bribes’ from businessman to ask questions in Parliament
After the remark of the judge, Gopal Shankarnarayan withdrew himself from the case.
Jai Ananat Dehadrai had recently shared details with regard to Moitra with BJP Lok Sabha MP Nishikant Dubey, who then filed a complaint with the speaker of the Lok Sabha, which has been forwarded to the Ethics Committee of the house for Inquiry. Dehadrai has also filed a complaint with the Central Bureau of investigation (CBI) against Moitra.
Dubey in his complaint has alleged that Moitra had asked questions in the Parliament to protect the business interest of Dubai-based businessman- Darshan Hiranandani. In fact the allegation is that the TMC MP took bribes for asking questions in the parliament.
Interestingly, on Thursday night, Darshan Hiranandani, who has been close to Moitra for the last many years, distanced himself from her and in an affidavit has said that Moitra had shared her parliament login detains and passwords, “So I could send her information and she could raise questions in the parliament.”
Hiranandani in his affidavit also claims that “Mahua Moitra was very ambitious and wanted to quickly make a name for herself at the national level. She was advised by her friends and advisors that the shortest possible route to fame is by personally attacking Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India. The only problem was that Modi, enjoyed an impeccable reputation and was not giving any opportunity to anyone to attack him in policy, governance or personal conduct. As was her wont, she thought that the only way to attack Modi is by attacking Gautam Adani and his group as both were contemporaries and they belong to the same state of Gujarat.”
Hiranandani in his affidavit has also accepted that he had gifted to Moitra expensive luxury items also. “She made frequent demands of me and kept asking me for favours, which I had to fulfil in order to remain in close proximity with her and get her support. The demands that were made and favours that were asked included, gifting her expensive luxury items, providing support on renovation of her official allotted bungalow in Delhi, travel expenses, holidays etc., apart from providing secretarial and logistical help for her travels within India and different parts of the world.” added Hiaranandani in his affidavit.
Meanwhile, Moitra took to social media and tweeted saying “I welcome answering questions to CBI and Ethics committee (Which has absolute majority of BJP members) if and when they call me. I have neither time not interest to feed a Adani directed media circus trial or answer BJP trolls. I am enjoying Durga Puja in Naida. Shubho Sashthi.”
