Mahua Moitra moves Supreme Court against expulsion from Lok Sabha: Report

Moitra was ousted from the Parliament after the Ethics Committee of the Lok Sabha found her guilty of jeopardising national security.

New Delhi: Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra has moved the Supreme Court against her expulsion from the Lok Sabha over the cash-for-query allegations against her. Moitra was ousted from the Parliament last week after the Ethics Committee of the Lok Sabha found her guilty of jeopardising national security by sharing her parliamentary portal's login credentials with businessman Darshan Hiranandani.

TMC leader Mahua Moitra after being expelled by the Lok Sabha during the winter session of Parliament. (PTI)

On Friday, Mahua Moitra said the ethics panel didn't have the power to expel her. She also said there was no evidence of her accepting cash from the businessman, which was the main accusation levelled by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey and her ex-partner Jai Anant Dehadrai. She also pointed out that she wasn't allowed to cross-examine Hiranandani and Dehadrai.

The ethics panel had recommended her expulsion in November, soon after a stormy meeting with her in which she accused the panel's chief of asking her inappropriate questions. The report of the panel was tabled in the Lok Sabha on December 8.

Her expulsion was recommended by the panel on the basis of Hiranandani's affidavit saying she accepted bribes to ask his questions targeting the Adani Group. In response, Moitra said she had provided him with the login passwords to take help from his staff for typing out her questions on the portal.

After her expulsion, Moitra attacked the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party saying she would continue fighting it over the next 30 years.

"Ramesh Biduri stands up in Parliament and makes objectionable remarks against Danish Ali, one of the few Muslim MPs.... the BJP has sent 303 MPs but hasn't sent one Muslim MP to Parliament. No action has been taken against Biduri for abusing Ali…You hate minorities, you hate women, you hate nari shakti," she said.

"I am 49 years old, I will fight you for the next 30 years, inside parliament, outside parliament, in the gutter, on the street," she added.

The opposition rallied behind Moitra over her expulsion, demanding that it should have been given a few days to read the lengthy document. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said she would win the elections by a bigger margin.