Delhi Court To Hear Mahua Moitra's Criminal Defamation Complaint Against Zee News

A Delhi court on Monday agreed to hear a criminal defamation complaint filed by Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra against Zee News and its Editor-in-Chief Sudhir Chaudhary for alleging that her maiden speech in Parliament made on June 25 on the 'Seven Signs of Fascism' was plagiarized.

Metropolitan Magistrate Preeti Parewa took cognisance of the complaint and listed the matter for July 20, when Moitra's statement would be recorded.

The advocate representing the MP told the court that her speech was inspired by a holocaust poster in a United States museum, containing 14 signs of early fascism.

The counsel added that Moitra "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, the counsel said. It was reported that Moitra had copied from an article '12 early signs of fascism' written by American author Martin Longman.

After the news of alleged plagiarism became a talking point, Longman commented in Twitter denying that Moitra had copied his article on fascism. Longman ridiculed the allegations and said that Moitra had mentioned the source of her speech.

Moitra had also submitted a breach of privilege motion against Chaudhary. However, it was rejected by the Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. 

In a statement issued after the court took cognizance of the complaint the Krishnanagar MP said that while she had immense respect for freedom of speech, she also tremendously feared the "power of fake news".

(With PTI inputs)