NEW DELHI: Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra on Thursday withdrew her plea from the Delhi High Court, which was filed against the cancellation of her government-allotted accommodation. She stated that she would approach the Directorate of Estates as per the rules.
Moitra had approached the High Court seeking directions to quash the notice to vacate the accommodation by January 7, which was received after her expulsion from the Lok Sabha in connection with the “cash-for-question” allegations.
Senior Advocate Pinaki Misra, representing Moitra, submitted before Justice Subramonium Prasad that they would move to the Directorate of Estates of the Central government, seeking permission to allow the TMC leader to stay at the bungalow until the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections.
Allowing her to withdraw the plea, the High Court noted on Thursday that the Government should take action on the issue as per the law. Moitra was found guilty of “unethical conduct” and expelled from the Lok Sabha on December 8, 2023, for allegedly accepting gifts from businessman Darshan Hiranandani and sharing her user ID and password of the Parliament website with him.
The plea filed by her contended that the Directorate of Estates’ order had been issued following her expulsion from the Lok Sabha. “The impugned order is premature, as the validity of the petitioner’s expulsion is pending adjudication before the Supreme Court of India,” the plea read.
‘In such circumstances’, where whether the petitioner is an ‘unauthorized occupant’ is under adjudication before the highest constitutional court of the land, the Directorate of Estates, as an executing authority, cannot initiate proceedings under the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorized Occupants) Act 1971 to evict the petitioner. Notably, the Supreme Court on Wednesday did not provide immediate relief to Moitra in the cash-for-query case.
