Zee Media files defamation suit against TMC MP Mahua Moitra

New Delhi, July 20: A criminal complaint was filed in a court here against Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra by Zee Media Corporation Ltd, accusing her of defaming the news channel.

The complaint comes 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 plagiarised.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal posted the matter related to the company's complaint for consideration on August 1.

In its complaint filed through advocate Vijay Aggarwal, 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".

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)," the complaint said.

The complaint has sought Moitra's prosecution under sections 499 and 500 of IPC for the offence of defamation.

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.

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.

Chaudhary, meanwhile, filed an application in the court on Friday seeking an inquiry into alleged concealment of facts in the defamation complaint Moitra filed in the court.