New Delhi: Jai Anant Dehadrai, the Supreme Court lawyer who had written to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP saying he had evidence of Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra allegedly accepting bribes from a businessman to ask questions in Parliament, has now claimed that he anticipates “a very serious threat to his life”.
Dehadrai has also claimed that a direct attempt was made to coerce him into withdrawing his complaint and threats of harming his reputation were made if he did not agree.
Dehradrai's strained relationship with Moitra
Dehadrai was reportedly in a relationship with Moitra and the two have allegedly not been on good terms since they parted ways. The two have accused each other of “stealing” Henry, their pet Rottweiler who is now with Moitra, and a battle for his custody is being fought in court.
Dehadrai has said, in a letter to Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora, that he was writing under “extremely distressing circumstances”. The lawyer said he anticipated a threat to his life because of the complaint against Moitra and others submitted on October 14 to the CBI and BJP MP Nishikant Dubey.
On Thursday, a direct attempt was made to coerce him into withdrawing his complaint, he alleged.
“Threats of reputational harm were also conveyed in case I did not agree. The very specific demand was that I should unconditionally withdraw both the complaints in which very serious allegations pertaining to national security and corruption have been alleged by me against Moitra and others. It was stated that my pet Rottweiler Henry would be returned by Moitra to me if I agreed to withdraw the said complaints,” Dehadrai wrote.
Lawyer's allegations against Moitra
The lawyer alleged that Moitra had a “history of misusing her influence and political clout to browbeat and intimidate opponents”, adding that she had filed two “bogus” complaints against him with Delhi Police to “extort” Henry from him. Moitra pressured the Station House Officer of the police station to “browbeat him into giving up the lawful ownership of Henry” over to her, he alleged.
“When I succumbed and sent Henry” to Moitra on October 4, she “immediately signed a letter not only unconditionally withdrawing her so-called complaints against me, but also explicitly asking the police not to take any action against me,” he alleged.
“Certain quarters” might attempt to prevent him from deposing before the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee on October 26 as well as before investigating agencies, Dehadrai said, adding that he had received several “strange messages” from unknown numbers on his personal phone as well as three phone calls from a “No Caller ID” number on Friday.
“Given the strange occurrences that have been going on, I fear for the well-being of my Chamber colleagues and myself,” he said.
