The Delhi High Court on Tuesday refused to immediately stay the trial court proceedings initiated by Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra against her former partner, lawyer Jay Anant Dehadhari, over the custody of her pet Rottweiler dog Henry.
A division bench of Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri passed the order while hearing Dehadari’s plea against the lower court’s November 10, 2025 order rejecting his application to dismiss the Mahwah suit.
The trial court concluded that DeHadray’s motions to dismiss on the grounds of statute of limitations, absence of title, or Mahwah’s alleged suppression of facts were matters that required the presentation of evidence on both sides and could not be decided without a full trial.
This came after Dhidharai, who appeared as the petitioner in person, asked the court to list his petition before April 29, the date on which the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear Moitra’s petition seeking temporary custody of the dog for 10 days every month or alternatively stay the proceedings from the next date of hearing before the lower court on Wednesday.
However, the Supreme Court rejected both applications, refusing to grant early hearing or stay the trial court proceedings in Moitra’s absence, but issued notice in the petition and his request to stay the further trial court proceedings. The matter will be listed for hearing on May 14.
“Not in their absence, please. I will issue notice,” the court commented.
Dehadray said in his petition that the lower court in its order failed to apply the principles governing dismissal of complaints to the admissible pleadings and legal framework. He stated, “The order reflects a clear lack of application of reason and allows the lawsuit to be pursued despite the absence of any legal cause of action and the presence of explicit legal obstacles.”
Henry’s custody of Jay and Moitra became a major point of contention between them amid a wider dispute that began with Jay’s complaint to the CBI in October 2023.
In his complaint, Dehadari accused Moitra of parliamentary irregularities, corruption and accepting money and services in exchange for raising questions in Parliament. BJP MP Nishikant Dubey then wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, alleging that Moitra gave businessman Darshan Hiranandani direct access to her official MP login credentials to post questions on her behalf. In the same month, Dubey also filed a complaint with Lokpal, alleging “cash for query” misconduct against Moitra.
Dehadray, in October 2023, also wrote to the then Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora, accusing Moitra of kidnapping the three-year-old dog to “harass and blackmail” him. He said he bought Henry in January 2021 for $75,000 and called their relationship a “parent-child relationship.”
In 2025, Moitra filed a lawsuit against Dehadray seeking joint custody of Henry, claiming that they had a verbal agreement to that effect. She said in her complaint that she cared for Henry and developed a deep emotional bond with him similar to that of a parent.
