New Delhi : The Delhi High Court on Tuesday scheduled the hearing for Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra’s petition for November 21. Moitra is challenging a Lokpal directive that authorizes the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to file a chargesheet against her in the contentious ‘cash-for-query’ scandal.
During the brief proceedings, the bench, presided over by Justice Anil Khetrapal, noted that details of the petition had appeared in the media even before it was formally presented in court.Moitra’s petition contests the Lokpal full bench’s decision of November 12, which, exercising its powers under the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, instructed the CBI to file a chargesheet against her within four weeks.
In her plea, Moitra contends that the Lokpal’s order violates the principles of natural justice, arguing that she was not granted an opportunity to present her side before the directive was issued.The case stems from a CBI report submitted to the Lokpal in July.
The investigative agency had previously filed a First Information Report (FIR) against Moitra and businessman Darshan Hiranandani on March 21, 2024, under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The allegations claim that Moitra accepted bribes from Hiranandani in exchange for raising questions in Parliament targeting the Adani Group and that she shared her parliamentary login credentials with him.These accusations led to her expulsion from the Lok Sabha on December 8, 2023, following a recommendation from the Parliament’s Ethics Committee which found the charges credible.
