Mahua Moitra's plea vs Lok Sabha expulsion: Supreme Court asks if urgency protocol followed

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court today asked the Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Mahua Moitra if the urgent mentioning protocol for sending of emails was followed, and assured her that it would take prompt action as soon as the same was done.

The TMC leader had approached the apex court against her expulsion after the Lok Sabha adopted a report by its Ethics Committee that held her guilty of accepting gifts and illegal gratification from a businessman to further his interests. 

A bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud took note of the submissions of Sr. Adv. Abhishek Singhvi representing Moitra.

"This is a member being expelled from the Lok Sabha," Singhvi said. 

"The matter may not have been registered... If an email was sent, then I would look at it right away. Please send it," the CJI said.

TMC leader Mahua Moitra on Wednesday urged the Supreme Court to consider her plea against expulsion from the Lok Sabha as an MP in the 'cash for query' case.

Earlier in the day, appearing on her behalf Sr. Adv. Singhvi also mentioned the matter before a bench led by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul to fix her writ petition for hearing.

Justice Kaul, however, said, "I don't want to take a call in the matter".

"Let the matter be placed before the Chief Justice of India for taking a call on the issue," he said.

Moitra on Monday filed the plea, terming the decision to expel her as "unjust, unfair and arbitrary" and against the principle of natural justice.

She was ousted from the Parliament as the MP from Krishnanagar constituency in West Bengal after the Ethics Committee of the Lok Sabha found her guilty of jeopardising national security by sharing her parliamentary portal's login credentials with businessman Darshan Hiranandani, a residing in Dubai.

Moitra was accused of posing several queries in Parliament concerning the Adani group of companies at the behest of a rival businessman Hiranandani.

On December 8, the Lok Sabha passed a resolution to expel Moitra from Parliament in view of the Ethics Committee recommending her disqualification as an MP.

Her expulsion was recommended by the committee on the basis of Hiranandani's affidavit saying she accepted bribes, including expensive gifts to ask his questions targeting the Adani Group.

The development had come on a complaint by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey on the basis of an affidavit by Moitra's past friend advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai.

In a TV interview, Moitra had herself admitted to sharing the login details for typing questions on her behalf.

Following her expulsion, Moitra equated the action with hanging by a "kangaroo court". She alleged that a parliamentary panel was being weaponised by the government to force the opposition into submission.

Mahua claimed she had been found guilty of breaching a code of ethics that does not exist and that there was no evidence of cash or gift given to her.