NEW DELHI: TMC MP Mahua Moitra’s lawyer on Friday recused himself from representing her before the Delhi High Court in a defamation suit she filed against BJP MP Nishikant Dubey and Supreme Court advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai.
During the hearing, Dehadrai, who appeared in person, claimed that Moitra’s lawyer Gopal Sankaranarayanan had telephoned him on Thursday asking him to withdraw the complaint against Moitra to CBI. Sankaranarayanan confirmed this. He said that since Dehadrai was a Bar member and he had earlier assisted him in a case, he would speak to the latter, to which his client agreed.
Justice Sachin Datta questioned if Sankaranarayanan was still eligible to appear in the matter since he tried to play the mediator. “It’s something that you need to answer yourself. It’s your call,” the judge said, prompting the lawyer to withdraw from the case.