The Supreme Court is set to hear Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra‘s plea challenging her expulsion from the Lok Sabha over alleged misconduct in the cash-for-query case. Moitra, who represented the Krishnanagar Lok Sabha seat in West Bengal, was expelled on December 8 on charges of “direct involvement” in “unethical” conduct related to the cash-for-query controversy.
In her defence, Moitra has raised concerns about “substantial illegality” and “arbitrariness” by the Lok Sabha ethics committee, which recommended her expulsion. The case will be heard by a bench led by Justice Sanjiv Khanna on Friday, marking the last working day for the Supreme Court before it closes for the winter break.
Moitra’s counsel, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, made efforts on Wednesday to urgently list her petition, assuring the Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud that the court would consider the request for an urgent hearing. The Lok Sabha expelled Moitra through a voice vote, adopting the ethics committee’s report, which recommended her expulsion for sharing her login details and accepting gifts and possibly cash from businessman Darshan Hiranandani.
Moitra’s petition challenges her disqualification and highlights the lack of opportunity to defend herself in the Lok Sabha during a discussion on the ethics panel’s findings. The controversy arose after BJP MP Nishikant Dubey and Supreme Court lawyer Jai Anant Dehradun filed complaints, alleging that Moitra accepted money and favors to ask questions in Parliament. Darshan Hiranandani, in an affidavit to the ethics committee, claimed that Moitra provided him with her login ID and password for the Lok Sabha members’ website, leading to the ongoing legal battle.
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