The Supreme Court on Thursday will hear Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra’s plea alleging that officials of the Nadia district administration in West Bengal forced her to vacate a room at a state-run circuit house despite a prior allotment.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant and comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana was initially requested to defer the matter as Moitra’s counsel, Gopal Sankaranarayanan, was engaged in another court. The bench, however, decided to list the matter on Thursday instead of taking it up later in the day.
During the brief hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta questioned Moitra’s decision to approach the Supreme Court directly, arguing that the matter involved factual disputes and that some claims were inaccurate.
The Centre’s law officer also said the matter required an independent inquiry.
Moitra’s counsel, meanwhile, urged the court to list the plea at the earliest, saying it involved an important constitutional issue and that the alleged incident had occurred despite a protective order passed by the High Court.
The dispute relates to an incident on the night of August 14 in Moitra’s constituency of Krishnanagar. The MP had alleged that she was asked to vacate the circuit house after being allotted a room there for an overnight stay following a Parliament session.
In a post on social media, Moitra claimed that a large crowd gathered outside the circuit house after she refused to leave, with people allegedly raising “Jai Shri Ram” slogans.
She subsequently wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, alleging that the Nadia district administration had attempted to force her out of the premises in the middle of the night and seeking his intervention.
Moitra claimed she was entitled to stay at the circuit house as an MP and alleged that the authorities sought to harass her despite her having made the booking and checked in without being informed of any restriction on accommodation.
She further alleged that no official had told her about any booking embargo either when she made the reservation or when she arrived at the property.
In her letter to the Speaker, Moitra also pointed out that the circuit house is located opposite the official residences of the district superintendent of police and the district magistrate. She questioned how a large crowd could gather outside the premises, describing the location as a security-sensitive area.
(With inputs from PTI)