Advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai on Thursday withdrew the defamation suit he had filed against former Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra in the Delhi High Court, Bar and Bench reported.
He had claimed Rs 2 crore in damages from the Trinamool Congress leader for allegedly making defamatory statements against him on social media as well as in print and electronic media in connection with the cash-for-query case. Dehadrai had also sought a court order to restrain Moitra, who is his estranged partner, from making defamatory statements.
On Thursday, Advocate Raghav Awasthi, representing Dehadrai, said that the defamation suit would be withdrawn if Moitra assured that she would not make false statements against his client.
Advocate Samudra Sarangi, representing Moitra, said that he would respond after receiving instructions from his client.
Justice Prateek Jalan then said that Dehadrai’s suggestion was positive and that both sides would benefit if they agreed not to make personal allegations and the dispute is taken out of the public domain, Bar and Bench reported.
Awasthi then said he was withdrawing the defamation suit without any conditions.
Earlier, Jalan had cautioned Moitra against making alleged defamatory statements against Dehadrai.
Moitra had also filed a defamation suit against Dehadrai and Bharatiya Janata Party MP Nishikant Dubey after they accused her of taking bribes from businessman Darshan Hiranandani to ask questions in Parliament. The court, however, rejected her plea to restrain Dehadrai and Dubey from posting allegedly defamatory content against her.
In December, she was expelled from Parliament on a recommendation by the Lok Sabha’s Ethics Committee, which found her guilty of having shared her credentials to the parliamentary website with others and accepting gifts in exchange for favours.
On March 21, the Central Bureau of Investigation booked Moitra on the directions of the Lokpal, the anti-corruption ombudsman.
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