NEW DELHI, Dec 13: In a session on Wednesday, the Supreme Court announced that Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud will make the decision regarding the urgent listing of Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Mahua Moitra’s plea challenging her expulsion from the Lok Sabha. The plea was brought to the attention of a bench comprising Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Sudhanshu Dhulia, and Justice Kaul informed senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi that CJI Chandrachud would handle the matter.
CJI Chandrachud leads a five-judge Constitution bench that convened on Wednesday for a separate case. Mahua Moitra had approached the Supreme Court to contest her expulsion from the Lok Sabha following the adoption of the ethics committee’s report, which found her guilty of accepting gifts and illegal gratification from a businessman to promote his interests.
The Lok Sabha, on December 8, witnessed a contentious debate over the committee’s report, during which Moitra was denied the opportunity to speak. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi subsequently moved a motion to expel Moitra from the House for “unethical conduct,” a motion that was adopted by a voice vote. In response to her expulsion, Moitra criticized the move as akin to judgment by a “kangaroo court” and alleged that the government was weaponizing a parliamentary panel to coerce the opposition into submission.
