TMC’s MP Mahua Moitra Moves Apex Court Challenging Her Expulsion from Lok Sabha Over Cash-For-Query
(Judicial Quest News Network)
In a sharp reaction to her expulsion, Ms. Mahua Moitra TMC’s MP moved Apex Court on Monday Challenging the decision of the Parliamentary Panel.
It is submitted that the panel was being weaponised by the government to force the opposition into submission.
After the house adopted the report of its ethnic committee that held her guilty of accepting gifts and illegal gratification from a businessman to further his interest.
49-year-old Moitra was expelled as a Lok Sabha Member of Parliament (MP) on December 8 following the Ethics panel’s determination of her guilt.
Sha had been accused receiving cash in exchange for posing questions on behalf of businessman and friend Darshan Hiranandani.
On Friday she had strongly objected her expulsion by ethics panel didn’t have the power to expel her.
She contended that the there was no evidence of her accepting cash from businessman, which was the main accusation levelled by the BJP MP Nishikant Dubey and her ex-partner Jai Anant Dehadrai. She also pointed out that she wasn’t allowed to cross-examine Hiranandani and Dehadrai.
The committee at their first sitting held on 26, October,2023 undertook preliminary inquiry in the matter as prescribed under rule 316(C)(1)
Of the rules of procedure and conduct of Business in Lok Sabha and took oral evidence of Jai Ananth Dehadrai Advocate and Nishikant Dubey Member of Parliament after completion of preliminary inquiry and pursuant to the provisions contained in rule 316(C)(3) of the rules.
The Lok Sabah Secretariate on Friday issued a notification announcing her expulsion from lower house.
Prahlad Joshi, Union Minister of Parliamentary affairs, tabled the resolution in the Lok Sabha to expel Moitra, based on the committee’s finding that she was guilty of sharing her login credentials of the Lok Sabha MP portal with unauthorised persons, which resulted in compromising national security and that she accepted illegal gratification in the form of gifts and other facilities from a businessman foe raising queries.
She lashed out at the Ethics Panel for acting without proof and also said that it was becoming a weapon to bulldoze opposition.
The money trail of cash transaction should between Moitra and Darshan Hiranandani as part of quid-pro-quo should be investigated by the government of India in a legal, institutional time bound manner.
Moitra said that she will fight BJP inside and outside Parliament for the next 30 years. “I am 49 years old now and I will fight you for the next 30 years inside and outside parliament”.
She said that ethics committee has have assumed the power of the quasi authority. You have disregarded the process and abused every tenet, This is the beginning of your (BJP) end.
