Court takes cognizance of defamation complaint against TMC MP Mahua Moitra

A Delhi court Friday took cognizance of a criminal complaint against Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra by Zee Media Corporation Ltd, accusing her of defaming the news channel.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal recorded the statement of the authorized representative of the news channel and listed the matter for August 20 for arguments on summoning.

The complaint was filed on July 19, days after Moitra filed a defamation complaint against the news channel and its Editor-in-Chief Sudhir Chaudhary for alleging that her June 25 speech in Parliament on the 'seven signs of fascism' was plagiarized.

In its present complaint filed through advocate Vijay Aggarwal, the company has said that "on July 3, Moitra made defamatory statements against the company, wherein she knowingly made several frivolous, false, malicious and derogatory statements".

The statements are highly defamatory to the reputation and goodwill of the company, it claimed.

"The intentional hate campaign of the accused (Moitra) has tarnished the reputation of the complainant (news channel)," it added.

In her complaint before Metropolitan Magistrate Preeti Parewa, Moitra had said that her speech was inspired by a holocaust poster in a United States museum, containing 14 signs of early fascism and that she "clearly attributed" the source.

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.