Mahua Moitra files criminal defamation case against Sudhir Chaudhary over plagiarism row

Trinamool Congress leader and Member of Parliament Mahua Moitra has filed a criminal defamation case against Zee News Editor-in-Chief Sudhir Chaudhary for alleging that her June 25 speech on the ‘Seven Signs of Fascism’ was plagiarized.

Taking cognizance of the complaint, Metropolitan Magistrate Preeti Parewa today listed the matter for July 20. The statement of Mahua Moitra will be recorded on that date.

Appearing for Moitra, Advocate Shadaan Farasat along with advocate Adit Pujari submitted that her speech was inspired by a Holocaust poster in a United States museum.

The poster contained 14 signs of early fascism.

“…it is a widely popular poster…she takes (seven) signs (of early fascism) and applies them to India’, it was argued.

View the speech delivered on June 25:

The counsel further added that Moitra “clearly attributed” the source as she stated that the signs were taken from the said poster.

However, Zee News’ Sudhir Chaudhary ran a broadcast stating that Mahua Moitra had plagiarised her “hate-filled speech” delivered in Parliament.

In his broadcast, Chaudhary alleged that her views were not her own, but were ‘copy-pasted’ from an article written by Martin Longman in reference to US President Donald Trump.

After briefly hearing the counsel, Judge Parewa agreed to record the pre-summoning evidence of Mahua Moitra on July 20.

Pursuant to the allegation, Moitra had also submitted a breach of privilege motion against Chaudhary.

Read Mahua Moitra’s Official Statement: