Supreme Court to Hear Mahua Moitra's Plea Against Lok Sabha Expulsion in May

On Monday, the Supreme Court announced it would schedule a hearing in May for Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra's petition challenging her expulsion from the Lok Sabha.

The plea was brought before a bench comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta. Moitra's legal representative indicated they have no plans to submit a rejoinder to the counter affidavit filed by the Lok Sabha's secretary-general regarding the case.

During the week commencing May 6, the Supreme Court scheduled a hearing for Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra's petition challenging her expulsion from the Lok Sabha. The counsel representing Moitra informed the bench that they do not plan to submit a rejoinder.

On January 3, the Supreme Court had requested a response from the Lok Sabha secretary general regarding Mahua Moitra's petition contesting her expulsion. However, the bench declined to issue an order on her interim request to attend Lok Sabha sessions, stating that granting such permission would effectively fulfill her primary demand.

The top court declined to serve notice to the Lok Sabha Speaker and the House's Ethics Committee, despite being named as respondents in Moitra's petition. This decision comes after a contentious session in the Lok Sabha on December 8, where Moitra was barred from speaking during a heated discussion on the ethics panel's findings. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi subsequently proposed a motion for the expulsion of the TMC MP from the House due to alleged "unethical conduct," which was passed via a voice vote.

The ethics committee found Moitra guilty of "unethical conduct" and contempt of the House as she had shared her Lok Sabha members' portal credentials user ID and password  with unauthorised people, which had an irrepressible impact on national security, Joshi had said.