Mahua Moitra Agrees To Delete ‘Fake Degree’ Post against BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, her counsel told the Delhi High Court in a defamation suit in which former finance secretary Subhash Chandra Garg is also a defendant; the contentions are untested.
New Delhi: Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra has told the Delhi High Court that she will remove a post on X in which she called BJP MP Nishikant Dubey a “fake degree” person, in a defamation suit filed by Dubey, while Garg’s counsel said a request would be made to the podcaster to block a portion of an interview [Dr. Nishikant Dubey v. Subhash Chandra Garg and Others].
Justice Tushar Rao Gedela heard the matter on Tuesday (October 27). The Court has not decided whether any statement is defamatory, and the allegations on both sides are contentions that remain untested.
How the dispute arose
According to Dubey’s legal notice of September 21, Garg, in a podcast with Shalini Kapoor Tiwari recorded on September 17, called Dubey a blackmailer and claimed that he sought favours from the LIC Chairman through Garg’s position on the LIC board. The notice also contended that defamation is not protected by Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution and that reputation forms part of the right to life under Article 21. The video was circulated on YouTube and Facebook. Moitra’s post on X quoted Garg’s video and called Dubey a “fake degree” person.
The two politicians have been before the Delhi High Court earlier. In May 2025, Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora closed Moitra’s own defamation proceedings against Dubey and advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai after Dubey’s counsel said an impugned Facebook post had been deleted and Dehadrai said he would remove his post from X.
What was said in Court
Moitra’s counsel told the Court that she would remove her post on X. Garg’s counsel said a request would be made to the podcaster to block the portion in which Dubey is described as a blackmailer, and submitted that Garg was discussing GDP numbers and made his comments only after Dubey made personal remarks against him.
Justice Gedela observed that, apart from that one word, there was nothing else objectionable in the portion complained of. He told Garg’s side to mute the word, failing which the Court would direct it to be muted, and remarked that calling a person a blackmailer is derogatory even where the person is of repute. Garg’s side was given time to respond, and the counsel indicated that the podcaster would be asked to mute the portion and that Moitra would delete her tweet.
Why the hearing matters
The hearing records an agreed takedown on one side and an undertaking to seek a mute on the other, with the Court confining its remarks to the one expression it found derogatory and leaving the rest of the interview untouched. The suit remains pending, and no finding has been recorded on the truth of the statements or on the plaintiff’s claim for damages or injunction.
Case Title: Dr. Nishikant Dubey v. Subhash Chandra Garg and Others (defamation suit; case number not available)
Bench: Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, Delhi High Court
Date of Hearing: October 27, 2026
Appearances: Counsel for Mahua Moitra and counsel for Subhash Chandra Garg (names not available)