The Delhi High Court ruled on Wednesday that accusations of treason against the prime minister are baseless and should not be made carelessly in the absence of strong evidence.
The BJD MP Pinaki Misra was suing attorney Jai Anant Dehadrai for allegedly making defamatory remarks on Twitter, claiming that the lawmaker and expelled TMC MP Mahua Moitra plotted to assassinate the prime minister. The case was being heard in court.
Justice Jasmeet Singh observed that while a politician cannot be “sensitive”, Dehadrai should await the outcome of his complaint to the authorities and cannot be “trigger happy”.
On December 8, Ms. Moitra was ejected from the Lok Sabha due to allegations made by her former partner, Mr. Dehadrai, that she accepted bribes from businessman and CEO of the Hiranandani Group, Darshan Hiranandani, in exchange for her asking questions in Parliament.
“When you say conspiracy against the prime minister, it is troublesome. You can’t be trigger happy … Conspiracy against the prime minister is an offence against the state, (it is) treason,” the court said during the hearing.
“It has serious repercussions on the general public … Wait for the investigation (to conclude) before you say all this,” it added.
“Mr (Raghav) Awasthi, who appears for the defendant, assures the court that no allegation of the plaintiff being involved in any conspiracy against the prime minister will be made till the next date of hearing,” the court recorded.
It further stated that the conflict between Mr. Dehadrai and Ms. Moitra is still pending before the high court, and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is already investigating the claims.
“Prima facie the allegation of conspiring against the prime minister is a serious allegation. The same tantamount to treason. The allegation of conspiring against the prime minister cannot be made irresponsibly and needs to be based on cogent and substantive reasons,” the court said.
After taking the defendant’s statement into consideration, the court notified Mr. Dehadrai and two media outlets about the complaint and scheduled a follow-up hearing for July.
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