Mahua Moitra cash-for-query case- CBI seeks Ethics Committee report from Lok Sabha Secretariat to proceed with investigation

Mahua Moitra cash-for-query case: CBI seeks Ethics Committee report from Lok Sabha Secretariat to proceed with investigation

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has approached the Lok Sabha Secretariat to get the Ethics Committee report that recommended Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra’s expulsion from the Parliament over cash-for query allegations to proceed with its probe. However, a decision in this regard is yet to be taken by the Secretariat, reported The Indian Express.

The CBI is conducting an inquiry sent by the Lokpal to it on the allegations against the TMC leader.

“The CBI has written to the Secretariat seeking a copy of the Ethics Committee report. We will look into it. We have not made a decision yet,” the source said, as quoted by IE.

If the Lok Sabha Secretariat forwards the Ethics Committee report to the CBI giving sanction under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act to probe against Moitra, the CBI can register an FIR and go ahead with a probe into the “criminal conduct” of her.

During the Winter Session of Parliament, Moitra was expelled from the Lok Sabha after the House adopted a report of its Ethics Committee for allegedly taking bribes from businessman Darshan Hiranandani, CEO of Hiranandani Group, to further his business interest.

After a heated debate over the report, during which Moitra was not allowed to speak, Parliamentary Affairs minister Pralhad Johi moved a motion to expel her for “unethical conduct”, which was adopted by voice vote.

Allegations against her were raised in the Parliament by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, who had written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, claiming that she took bribes from Hiranandani. He also wrote another letter to Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw urging him to probe the IP addresses of Moitra’s login credentials to the Lok Sabha to check if it was accessed by anyone else.