TMC MP Mahua Moitra has approached the Delhi High Court seeking custody of her pet Rottweiler, Henry, intensifying a personal legal dispute with advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai. Acting on her plea, the High Court has issued a notice to Dehadrai and sought his response. The matter is now listed for hearing on April 29.
The petition was heard by Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri, who directed Dehadrai to file his reply. During the proceedings, Dehadrai appeared in person and requested the court to dismiss the petition at the threshold, arguing that it did not merit further consideration. However, the court decided to examine the matter in detail and formally issued notice.
The dispute over Henry has been ongoing for several months. Earlier, a trial court at Saket Court had declined Moitra’s request for 10 days of custody each month. Challenging that order, the TMC leader has now argued before the High Court that the lower court’s decision was legally and factually flawed.
In her petition, Moitra stated that Henry primarily lived with her in Delhi and that the dog stayed with Dehadrai only when she travelled outside the capital for official engagements in her West Bengal constituency. She contended that the earlier arrangement reflected shared responsibility and emotional bonding, which, according to her, was not adequately appreciated by the trial court.
The legal battle over the Rottweiler is not the first courtroom confrontation between the two. Last year, the Delhi High Court had also issued notice to Moitra in an appeal filed by Dehadrai against a trial court direction restraining him from publicising the dispute. Senior advocate Sanjoy Ghosh had appeared for Dehadrai in those proceedings.
While the case carries political overtones because of Moitra’s public profile, the current proceedings focus narrowly on the question of custody and the welfare of the pet. Courts in India increasingly encounter such disputes, where judges must balance claims of ownership with the emotional and caregiving aspects involved in pet custody cases.
For now, the High Court has sought a response from Dehadrai and will take up the matter again in April. Until then, the question of who will ultimately have custody of Henry remains before the court.