Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra was expelled from Lok Sabha today following an Ethics Committee report held her guilty of taking bribes in exchange for criticising the government.

The 49-year-old MP faces accusations of receiving cash and luxurious gifts from businessman Darshan Hiranandani in exchange for posing questions in Parliament that painted the Narendra Modi government in a negative light.

Timeline Of The ‘Cash For Query’ Case:

How It Began

On October 14, Supreme Court lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai filed a complaint with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and forwarded a copy to the Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, seeking to address alleged corruption and money laundering.

Ms Moitra denied all allegations against her, dismissing Mr Dehadrai as a “jilted ex.” In response, Mr Dehadrai wrote to the Delhi Police, claiming he feared “a very serious threat to his life” due to his complaint and alleging a direct attempt to coerce him into retracting it.

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey requested the immediate suspension of Ms Moitra in a letter to Mr Birla. Mr Dubey alleged that Ms Moitra had accepted bribes from Mr Hiranandani in exchange for asking parliamentary questions critical of PM Modi and the Adani Group. These actions, according to Mr Dubey, constituted breaches of parliamentary privilege, contempt of the House, and potentially criminal conspiracy.

Mr Dubey’s complaint triggered a hearing by the Ethics Panel of Parliament, summoning both him and Mr Dehadrai. 

Darshan Hiranandani’s Explosive Claims

Mr Hiranandani, meanwhile, submitted an affidavit alleging Ms Moitra shared her parliamentary credentials with him to facilitate the framing and posting of questions targeting the Adani Group, a measure she perceived as the “only way” to reach PM Modi. He admitted that he used the Trinamool MP’s parliamentary login ID and password to post questions from Dubai.

Ms Moitra conceded to sharing her parliamentary login credentials with Mr Hiranandani. While acknowledging a receipt of gifts from him, she clarified that they were limited to personal items like “one scarf, some lipsticks, and other makeup items including eye shadow.” Ms Moitra, however, denied any bribery and demanded the opportunity to cross-examine the businessman.

Mahua Moitra’s Defiance 

Ms Moitra defied the Ethics Committee’s initial summons to appear on October 31. She explained her stance, stating that the Committee chairman had publicly announced her summons on live television before she received the official notification via email at 7:20 pm.

She further highlighted the media’s access to all complaints and affidavits before her, labeling it a “selective leak of a plea bargain.” She characterized the proceedings as a “witch hunt” targeting any politician who dared to question the Adani Group.

Mahua Moitra Walks Out

On November 2, Ms Moitra agreed to appear before the Ethics Committee but staged a walked out.

In a scathing letter to the Speaker, she accused the panel of engaging in “proverbial vastraharan (stripping),” highlighting her belief that their questioning was biased and unfair.

The Ethics Committee countered Ms Moitra’s claims, stating that her lack of cooperation and refusal to answer further questions led to her premature departure. 

Ethics Panel Report Submitted To Speaker

On November 10, the Ethics Committee submitted its report to the Speaker, recommending Ms Moitra’s expulsion. The report accused her of accepting “illegal gratifications” from Mr Hiranandani in exchange for raising questions in Parliament on his behalf.

Six out of ten members of the Ethics Committee voted to adopt the 479-page report. The remaining four members, belonging to opposition parties, registered dissent.

Report Tabled In Parliament 

On December 8, the Ethics Committee report was tabled in parliament. The panel’s chairman Vinod Kumar Sonkar tabled the report during the afternoon session, prompting immediate chaos in the House.

Trinamool Congress and Congress members stormed the Well of the House, demanding access to the report and a discussion before any action was taken. Kalyan Banerjee, a senior TMC member, further insisted on a debate before any vote on Ms Moitra’s expulsion.

Amid the uproar, the presiding officer, BJP’s Rajendra Agrawal, adjourned the proceedings till 2 pm, unable to contain the commotion.

Mahua Moitra Expelled

Following the tabling of the report, Ms Moitra was expelled. Despite a heated debate and demands from Ms Moitra and opposition members for her to speak, she was not given the opportunity to defend herself before the vote. 

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi moved a motion for her expulsion based on “unethical conduct”, which was subsequently adopted by a voice vote. 

“Unaccounted” cash amounting to around Rs 250 crore is expected to be recovered through searches being conducted by the income-tax department against a Odisha-based distillery group and entities linked to it, official sources said on Friday.

The raids launched against Boudh Distillery Private Limited on Wednesday are still continuing and cash amounting to more than Rs 200 crore has so far been recovered. The total recovery could be around Rs 250 crore, the sources said.

Three dozen counting machines have been deployed by the tax department. Since the machines are of a limited capacity, the counting is progressing at a slow pace, the sources added.

Premises linked to the Congress’s Rajya Sabha MP from Jharkhand, Dhiraj Prasad Sahu, were also covered during the searches, the sources said.

An e-mail sent by PTI to the distillery group on Thursday elicited no response.

Officials said cash amounting to Rs 200 crore, stashed in almirahs, was recovered from a premises of the distillery group in Balangir district, while the remaining amount was found from other locations, such as Sambalpur and Sundargarh in Odisha, Bokaro and Ranchi in Jharkhand and Kolkata.

In a post on X, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tagged a news report about the I-T department recovering Rs 200 crore in cash from various locations of a business group allegedly linked to Sahu, as he attacked the opposition party.

“Countrymen should look at these piles of currency notes and then hear the addresses of its (Congress) leaders on honesty. Every penny looted from people will have to be returned. This is Modi’s guarantee,” he said in a post with several emojis.

Mr Sahu’s staff expressed their inability to get a comment from the MP when PTI called on his phone for a reaction to the I-T department’s action.

The sources said the taxman acted on “inputs” of a huge amount of cash being remitted by liquor distributors, sellers and business groups and hence, the raids were launched. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

She was visiting the police station for her passport verification. And was awaiting her turn. Just then, a cop, cocking a gun, misfired. The bullet hit the woman, sending her crashing to the floor, showed the disturbing video from Uttar Pradesh’s Aligarh.  

The woman, Ishrat, has been rushed to a hospital, where her condition is said to be critical.

The accident took place around 2:50 pm. The accused policeman is missing.

The family has alleged that the woman was being harassed for money by the officer in charge of her passport verification. An argument followed and the officer shot her, claimed the family.

“She had visited the police station for passport inquiry. She was getting calls for money. Don’t know who shot her. Don’t know about the money demanded. There was an argument between them,” said Jeeshan, a relative of the 55-year-old injured woman.

The video shows the woman standing with a man awaiting her turn when the cop comes in and is handed a gun by his colleague. The cop is seen testing the gun when the shot is fired and the woman collapses to the ground.

“Due to negligence, Inspector Manoj Sharma has been suspended with immediate effect and a criminal case has been registered against him. The injured woman is being treated by the doctor’s team, the footage of the incident is being investigated by the field unit,” said Kalanidhi Naithani, SSP, Aligarh.

The woman was hit in the back of the head, the officer said, adding that teams have been formed and strict action will be taken against the accused policeman.

The woman was planning to visit Saudi Arabia for Umrah, a mini pilgrimage.