TMC MP Mahua Moitra files criminal defamation case against Sudhir Chaudhary

The ongoing battle between TMC MP Mahua Moitra and Sudhir Chaudhary has taken a new turn. Moitra has filed a criminal defamation case against Sudhir Chaudhary, Editor-in-Chief of Zee News in a Delhi court.  

On June 25, Moitra gave a speech in Parliament in which she had stated seven signs of early fascism and how they applied to India. The speech had garnered attention on social media.  

On July 4, Sudhir Chaudhary alleged on his prime-time show that Moitra’s speech was plagiarised from a Washington Monthly article from January 2017. It was authored by Martin Longman, who had written it in the context of American politics.

Moitra’s advocate Shadaan Farasat submitted that her speech was inspired by a Holocaust poster in the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. She added that Moitra had “clearly attributed” the source during her speech. 

Metropolitan Magistrate Preeti Parewa listed the hearing for July 20, and Moitra’s statement will be recorded then.

On July 3, Longman had tweeted that Moitra was “being falsely accused of plagiarizing” him. He also wrote a piece on the matter.