As the Winter Session of Parliament inches closer, all eyes are on the future of Mahua Moitra. The ethics committee report recommending Moitra’s disqualification as MP and further investigation into allegations of compromising national security by sharing her Parliament account log-in has been shared with the Speaker.
Sources say the Speaker is unlikely to delay and will go by the committee’s suggestions. But there could be more trouble in store.
Sources say Moitra’s former close friend Jai Anant Dehadrai — whom she now refers to as a “jilted ex” — has written to the Chief Justice of India, complaining about advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan putting pressure on him to withdraw the complaint against the Trinamool Congress leader. Sankaranarayanan was Moitra’s counsel in the defamation suit she has filed against Dehadrai, accusing him of maligning her image.
In court, Dehadrai had said Sankaranarayanan should not be on the case as he had spoken with him regarding the matter. Sankaranarayanan had responded that as Dehadrai had briefed him in the past, he had reached out with his client’s consent to see if a settlement was possible. Since there was an objection now, Sankaranarayanan said he did not wish to proceed and had withdrawn from the case.
But, sources say, the complaint to the CJI mentions that not only had Sankaranarayanan pressured Dehadrai to withdraw the complaints against Moitra but had also dragged in the CJI’s name.
Meanwhile, sources close to Sankaranarayanan vehemently denied any pressure and said it was routine to reach out to settle matters.
A public spat between Supreme Court lawyer Dehadrai and Moitra hit headlines last month, with the former partners sparring over who gets the custody of their dog, a three-year-old Rottweiler Henry. Henry is with Moitra at present.
The tussle between the two took a turn for the worse when BJP MP Nishikant Dubey said he received a letter from Dehadrai, claiming that the lawyer had shared “irrefutable” evidence that Moitra had taken bribes in the form of “cash” and “gifts” from business tycoon Darshan Hiranandani to ask questions in Parliament.