Mahua Moitra challenges bungalow eviction notice in Delhi High Court
Mahua Moitra, former Lok Sabha MP from the Trinamool Congress party, is contesting an eviction notice in the Delhi High Court, ANI reported on Thursday. The Directorate of Estates had issued the notice, demanding that Moitra vacate her government-allotted bungalow following her expulsion from the Lok Sabha last year. The court is scheduled to hear the case later in the day.
Why does this story matter?
This comes more than a month after Moitra was expelled as a Lok Sabha MP on grounds of unethical conduct. A Parliamentary panel found her guilty of accepting expensive gifts from a businessman and sharing her Parliament login credentials with him. The cash-for-query row started after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey claimed Moitra took bribes from businessman Darshan Hiranandani to ask questions targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Adani Group in Parliament.
Mahua Moitra gets eviction notice, with 'use of force' warning
On Wednesday, in a strongly-worded eviction notice, the Centre asked Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra to vacate immediately a government bungalow that was allotted to her as an MP. The notice was issued by the Directorate of Estate (DoE)—which manages government properties. According to the notice, if Moitra does not vacate the premises on her own, she and any other occupant "are liable to be evicted, if need be, by the use of such force as may be necessary."
Eviction notice follows earlier directives
After her expulsion from the Lok Sabha on December 8, the TMC leader was asked to vacate the government-allotted house by January 7. On January 8, the DoE issued a notice to Moitra, seeking her reply in three days as to why she did not vacate her accommodation. Another notice followed on January 12. "A team of officials...will now be sent to ensure that the government bungalow is vacated at the earliest," PTI reported on Wednesday.
Delhi HC earlier asked Moitra to approach DoE
Amid the repeated notices, Moitra approached the Delhi High Court for relief, which, on January 4, advised her to seek permission from the DoE to continue occupying the government accommodation. Justice Subramoniun Prasad noted that, in exceptional circumstances, rules allowed residents to overstay for up to six months if they paid certain charges. The court permitted Moitra to withdraw her petition and stated that the DoE would decide her case after considering all factors.
Moitra denied allegations of taking bribes
In October, Moitra admitted sharing her Parliament login credentials with Hiranandani but asserted that "no rules prohibited it." Moitra claimed that every MP's questions are distributed to their teams. In response to accusations of accepting cash and gifts from him, she dismissed these charges as frivolous. She also cited instances where she logged in from Switzerland and her sister's child logged in from Cambridge University.
No relief for Moitra from Supreme Court
On December 11, Moitra moved the Supreme Court against her expulsion from the Lok Sabha. She argued the panel had no power to expel her, terming it a "kangaroo court." "The recommendation of expulsion was solely based on the complaint that I shared my login. But there is no rule whatsoever in this regard," Moitra said. The Supreme Court on January 3 refused to look into her expulsion from the House.
