Will hear Mahua's plea against move to oust her from residence on Jan 4: HC

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday said it would hear on January 4 a plea by Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra challenging cancellation of her government accommodation, noting that the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on January 3 her plea against expulsion from the Lok Sabha.

Justice Subramonium Prasad, before whom the plea came up for hearing, adjourned it.

As the counsel for Moitra urged the court to direct the Directorate of Estates to file a reply to the petition before January 4, the high court said it would consider it on the next date only.

The petition has urged that the Directorate of Estates' December 11 order be set aside or, in the alternative, Moitra be allowed to retain possession of the accommodation till the results of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections are declared.

Senior advocate Pinaki Misra, appearing for Moitra, submitted that the petitioner was only seeking to retain possession of the government accommodation till May 31, 2024.

The Directorate of Estates was represented through Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma and Central government standing counsel Anurag Ahluwalia.

Moitra was held guilty of "unethical conduct" and expelled from the Lok Sabha on December 8, 2023 for allegedly accepting gifts from businessman Darshan Hiranandani and sharing her user ID and password of the Parliament website with him.

She has already challenged her expulsion in the Supreme Court after the Lok Sabha adopted the report of its ethics committee recommending her ouster. The case is listed for hearing on January 3, 2024.