Mahua Moitra moves Delhi HC over custody battle for 'Henry'; notice issued to Jai Anant Dehadrai
The dispute over the pet Rottweiler comes against the backdrop of a prolonged legal battle between the two, marked by a series of allegations and counter-cases over the past few years.
- Feb 19, 2026,
- Updated Feb 19, 2026 6:48 PM IST
Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra has approached the Delhi High Court challenging a lower court order that denied her interim custody of her Rottweiler, Henry, according to a Bar & Bench report.
Moitra had sought custody of the dog for 10 days each month, but her plea was rejected on November 10, 2025, by a Saket district court.
On February 19, Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri issued notice to her former partner Jai Anant Dehadrai, seeking his response to the petition. The matter is now scheduled for hearing on April 29.
Dehadrai, appearing in person, urged the High Court to dismiss Moitra’s appeal.
The dispute over the pet comes against the backdrop of a prolonged legal battle between the two, marked by a series of allegations and counter-cases over the past few years.
Earlier, Dehadrai had accused Moitra of accepting bribes from businessman Darshan Hiranandani in exchange for raising questions in Parliament. BJP MP Nishikant Dubey also filed a complaint with the Lok Sabha Speaker on the issue, prompting an inquiry by the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee.
Following the probe, the committee recommended Moitra’s expulsion, and she was removed from Parliament on December 8, 2023.
Moitra has consistently denied the allegations, maintaining that Hiranandani is a friend and that there was no quid pro quo, describing the charges as politically motivated. Dehadrai and Dubey, however, alleged that she shared access to her parliamentary login, which was then used to submit questions — claiming that 50 of the 61 questions she raised were drafted by the businessman.
Moitra subsequently filed a defamation case against both. In March 2024, the High Court declined to grant her interim relief in that matter, observing that the accusations regarding sharing of login credentials and receipt of gifts were not “totally false.” The case remains pending.
In her latest appeal concerning Henry’s custody, Moitra has argued that the trial court’s order is flawed. She contended that the court failed to recognise that the dog was given to her to be “loved and cared for” and primarily lived at her residence, staying with Dehadrai only when she was travelling for constituency work.
She further argued that the order wrongly treated payment for the pet as proof of ownership, despite, she claimed, evidence showing the dog had been purchased by Dehadrai on her behalf.
Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra has approached the Delhi High Court challenging a lower court order that denied her interim custody of her Rottweiler, Henry, according to a Bar & Bench report.
Moitra had sought custody of the dog for 10 days each month, but her plea was rejected on November 10, 2025, by a Saket district court.
On February 19, Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri issued notice to her former partner Jai Anant Dehadrai, seeking his response to the petition. The matter is now scheduled for hearing on April 29.
Dehadrai, appearing in person, urged the High Court to dismiss Moitra’s appeal.
The dispute over the pet comes against the backdrop of a prolonged legal battle between the two, marked by a series of allegations and counter-cases over the past few years.
Earlier, Dehadrai had accused Moitra of accepting bribes from businessman Darshan Hiranandani in exchange for raising questions in Parliament. BJP MP Nishikant Dubey also filed a complaint with the Lok Sabha Speaker on the issue, prompting an inquiry by the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee.
Following the probe, the committee recommended Moitra’s expulsion, and she was removed from Parliament on December 8, 2023.
Moitra has consistently denied the allegations, maintaining that Hiranandani is a friend and that there was no quid pro quo, describing the charges as politically motivated. Dehadrai and Dubey, however, alleged that she shared access to her parliamentary login, which was then used to submit questions — claiming that 50 of the 61 questions she raised were drafted by the businessman.
Moitra subsequently filed a defamation case against both. In March 2024, the High Court declined to grant her interim relief in that matter, observing that the accusations regarding sharing of login credentials and receipt of gifts were not “totally false.” The case remains pending.
In her latest appeal concerning Henry’s custody, Moitra has argued that the trial court’s order is flawed. She contended that the court failed to recognise that the dog was given to her to be “loved and cared for” and primarily lived at her residence, staying with Dehadrai only when she was travelling for constituency work.
She further argued that the order wrongly treated payment for the pet as proof of ownership, despite, she claimed, evidence showing the dog had been purchased by Dehadrai on her behalf.