Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, already dogged by a long list of corruption allegations and a historic expulsion from the Lok Sabha, has now approached the Delhi High Court in a fresh attempt to stall proceedings in the cash-for-query scandal. The move comes after the Lokpal’s full-bench decision on November 12, which granted the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) permission to file a chargesheet against her within a month.
According to ANI, the Lokpal invoked its statutory powers under the Lokpal Act and approved sanctions for prosecuting Moitra and others, further directing the CBI to submit a copy of the chargesheet to the authority within four weeks.
In her petition, Moitra alleges that the Lokpal acted in complete disregard of her written submissions and oral explanations, even though it had specifically sought them. Calling the move a “gross violation of natural justice,” she claims the watchdog treated her defence as “premature,” effectively reducing itself, in her words, to a mere “rubber stamp” of the CBI.
The matter is now scheduled before a Division Bench of Justice Anil Kshetarpal and Justice Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar.
The controversy began with BJP MP Nishikant Dubey’s explosive allegations that Moitra accepted cash and luxury gifts from Dubai-based businessman Darshan Hiranandani in exchange for raising targeted questions in Parliament. These accusations were backed by advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai, once described by Moitra as a “jilted ex,” whose testimony and documents became central to the inquiry.
The charges go beyond bribery, suggesting serious national security concerns, including Moitra allegedly sharing her confidential Lok Sabha login credentials with Hiranandani.
The scandal led to her unprecedented expulsion from the Lok Sabha in December 2023. Despite that, she managed to win the Krishnanagar seat again in 2024, even as the CBI continued its probe.
In March 2024, the agency formally registered a case under Sections 7, 8, and 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, along with IPC Section 120-B on criminal conspiracy. By the end of July, the CBI submitted its findings to the Lokpal, culminating in the sanction that Moitra now seeks to overturn.
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