Delhi Court Summons TMC MP Mahua Moitra in Defamation Case by TV Channel; Her Complaint Stayed

New Delhi: The cross defamation complaints filed by Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra and Zee News witnessed hearing before two separate courts here wherein summons were issued to the parliamentarian and proceedings on her complaint against the TV channel were stayed.

The cases relate to Moitra's June 25 speech in Parliament on the 'Seven Signs of Fascism' and a TV show run by the news channel and other subsequent developments.

While one court said there were sufficient grounds to proceed against Moitra and directed her to appear before the court on October 25, another court stayed the proceedings till October 18 in a complaint filed by her against the news channel and its Editor on a plea by the the company and the scribe.

In the order summoning Moitra, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal said: "There exist sufficient grounds to proceed against the respondent Moitra under section 500 (defamation) IPC. Accordingly, Moitra is summoned for commission of offence of defamations under section 500 of the IPC."

Advocate Vijay Aggarwal, appearing for the company, said that "on July 3, Moitra made defamatory statements against the company, wherein she knowingly made several frivolous, false, malicious and derogatory statements".

Moitra had made the statements after the TV channel ran the show, and termed it "defamatory".

In the second case, Additional Sessions Judge Rakesh Syal stayed the proceedings before a magisterial court and posted the matter for hearing October 18.

Judge Syal is hearing a revision petition by the news channel and the scribe alleging that Metropolitan Magistrate Preeti Parewa, hearing Moitra's complaint, proceeded with the case without hearing their application where they have sought an inquiry into alleged concealment of facts by the politician in her defamation complaint.

In her complaint before Judge Parewa, Moitra had said that her speech was inspired by a holocaust poster in a United States museum, containing 14 signs of early fascism.

She said that she "clearly attributed" the source as she stated that the signs were taken from the said poster.

However, Chaudhary ran a broadcast stating that Mahua Moitra had plagiarised her "hate-filled speech" delivered in Parliament, she said.

The alleged defamatory statement against the news channel was made while she was speaking to reporters on the allegation against her.