The Central Bureau of Investigation on Thursday registered a first information report against former Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra in the alleged cash-for-query case, PTI reported.
The agency filed the case two days after the Lokpal, the anti-corruption ombudsman, directed it to investigate allegations against her.
According to the Lokpal order, Moitra had shared credentials of her Lok Sabha member portal with Dubai-based businessman Darshan Hiranandani to allow him to share questions. In total, Hiranandani posted 58 questions that were asked by Moitra in Parliament, the Lokpal order had said on Tuesday citing the central agency’s preliminary inquiry findings.
The anti-corruption body said the allegations against the Trinamool Congress leader were backed by cogent evidence and were extremely serious.
Moitra, who represented West Bengal’s Krishnanagar constituency, was expelled from Parliament on December 8 based on a motion moved by Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi.
The motion was based on a recommendation by the Lok Sabha’s Ethics Committee that had found Moitra guilty of having shared her login credentials to the Parliamentary website with Hiranandani and accepting gifts in exchange for asking the questions in Parliament.
The allegations against the politician were made in October by Bharatiya Janata Party MP Nishikant Dubey and advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai, her estranged partner.
However, Moitra, alleged that the ethics panel found her guilty of breaching a code that did not exist. The Trinamool Congress leader said that the committee punished her for a practice that is routine, accepted and encouraged in the House.
Delhi HC issues summons to Moitra
On Wednesday, the Delhi High Court issued summons to Moitra in a case filed by Dehadrai for allegedly making defamatory statements against him on social media, The Indian Express reported.
Justice Prateek Jalan also summoned social media platforms Google LLC and X, along with some media organisations.
Dehadrai said in an interim application that he was “losing business as a lawyer” on account of alleged defamatory statements by the Trinamool Congress leader. The case will be heard next on April 8.
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