Mahua Moitra expulsion | Supreme Court seeks Lok Sabha secretary general's reply on TMC leader's plea

Supreme Court seeks reply from Lok Sabha Secretary General on TMC leader Mahua Moitra's expulsion plea from Lower House.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday sought a reply from the Lok Sabha secretary general on Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra's plea challenging her expulsion from the Lower House.

A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta refused to pass any order on an interim prayer of Ms. Moitra to let her attend the proceedings of the House, saying, allowing it would be like allowing the main petition.

"We will consider your plea for interim relief in March," Justice Khanna told Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for Ms. Moitra.

The top court also refused to issue any notice to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and the Committee on Ethics of Lok Sabha — both were made a party by Moitra in her plea — and said it would only seek a reply from the Lok Sabha secretary general.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Lok Sabha secretary general, requested the court not to issue a formal notice and said that he would file a reply to Ms. Moitra's petition.

Mr. Mehta said the court should not venture into the internal matter of discipline in the sovereign organ of the state. The bench then passed the order and listed the matter for further hearing in the week starting March 11.

On December 8, after a heated debate in the Lok Sabha over the panel report, during which Moitra was not allowed to speak, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi moved a motion to expel the TMC MP from the House for "unethical conduct," which was adopted by a voice vote.