New Delhi: Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra on Monday approached the Supreme Court against the alleged eviction of her from a circuit house in Nadia district, claiming that local administration officials forced her to leave despite a room having been allotted to her at the government-run facility. The top court declined to entertain her plea on an urgent basis, PTI reported.
Moitra’s counsel told a bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant and comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana that the alleged incident occurred late at night in Krishnanagar, which falls within her constituency.
“The matter requires an independent investigation. This has happened despite the high court already having passed a protective order. I am only praying for listing on an early date because this involves an important constitutional issue,” her lawyer said.
The MP had earlier alleged through a social media post that a sizeable crowd assembled outside the circuit house on the night of August 14 after she declined to vacate the premises. According to her, the gathering raised “Jai Shri Ram” slogans.
Moitra subsequently wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, asking him to intervene in the alleged conduct of the Nadia district administration. She claimed officials tried to make her vacate the circuit house after permitting her to reserve and occupy a room at the property. The Krishnanagar MP also indicated that she was prepared to seek legal recourse over what she called harassment.
Moitra said she had stayed at the circuit house after returning from a Parliament session and maintained that, as a sitting MP, she was eligible to use the facility. She alleged that district authorities insisted she leave during the night, describing the action as a deliberate attempt to intimidate and harass her.
In her communication to the Speaker, Moitra said no official had told her about any restriction on bookings either when she reserved the room or when she arrived at the circuit house.
She also pointed out that the premises stand across from the official residences of the district superintendent of police and the district magistrate. Such a location, she said, was expected to remain secure and should not have allowed any crowd to assemble, “let alone a lynch mob”.