Mahua Moitra moves SC against her expulsion from Lok Sabha

Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Mahua Moitra on Monday, December 11, filed a petition with the Supreme Court challenging her expulsion from the Lok Sabha. Moitra was expelled from the Lok Sabha on Friday after a discussion of the Ethics Committee on ‘cash-for-query’ case. According to the sources, she was accused of receiving money in exchange for raising questions in Parliament.

According to the sources, Moitra's petition argues that the decision to expel her was "unfair, unjust, and arbitrary," and that the Ethics Committee of the Lok Sabha, which recommended her expulsion, did not provide a fair hearing. She also claims that the charges against her are politically motivated and that she has been denied due process.

Mahua Moitra, who was not allowed to speak during the discussion inside the House, the Trinamool leader read out her statement outside the Lok Sabha. 

Ethics committee broke every rule: Mahua Moitra

"This LS has also seen the weaponisation of the Parliamentary committee. Ironically the Ethics Committee which was set up to serve as a moral compass for members, instead it has been abused egregiously today to do exactly what it was never meant to do, which is to bulldoze the opposition and become another weapon to 'thok do' (crush) us into submission," Mahua Moitra said.

The opposition staged a walkout after the Lok Sabha adopted the motion to expel the TMC MP.

"I am 49 years old and for the next 30 years, I will fight you inside the Parliament and outside; in the gutter and on the streets...We will see the end of you...This is the beginning of your end...We're going to come back and we're going to see the end of you," she added.

#WATCH | "The Ethics Committee has no power to expel....This is the beginning of your(BJP) end," says Mahua Moitra after her expulsion as TMC MP. pic.twitter.com/WZsnqiucoE

— ANI (@ANI) December 8, 2023

She also asserted that she has been found guilty of breaching a code of ethics that 'does not exist'.

The Supreme Court is yet to hear Moitra's petition, but it is likely to be a closely watched case. If the court rules in Moitra's favour, it could have a significant impact on the way that Parliament disciplines its members.

(With ANI inputs)