Justice SK Kaul refuses to entertain request for urgent listing of Mahua Moitra plea; says CJI will decide

Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul of Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to take a call a request made for urgent listing of Trinamool Congress Party (TMC) leader Mahua Moitra’s petition against her recent expulsion from the Lok Sabha..The mentioning in the Supreme Court was made by Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi before Justice Kaul’s bench as the Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud was sitting in a constitution bench. “Let CJI decide … I cannot decide at this stage,” Justice Kaul said while referring to his forthcoming retirement.Justice Kaul added that the matter be mentioned before the CJI this afternoon.The matter was later mentioned before CJI Chandrachud who asked Moitra's counsel to send an email."She has been expelled, a member of parliament. If it can be listed tomorrow or day after," Senior Advocate Singhvi said."If an email was sent we would have looked at it. Please send it. We will look at it right away," the CJI said.Singhvi said that it will be done..On December 8 (Friday), the Lok Sabha passed a resolution to expel Moitra from the parliament in the wake of a recommendation by an Ethics Committee for her disqualification as a Member of Parliament (MP). The Ethics Committee's recommendation and report followed a complaint by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey who alleged that Moitra had accepted cash in exchange for asking certain questions in parliament.Moitra has been accused of posing several queries in parliament concerning the Adani group of companies at the behest of a rival businessman, Darshan Hiranandani. Moitra was also alleged to have shared her Lok Sabha log-in credentials with Hiranandani. The TMC leader was found guilty by the Ethics Committee which held that Moitra's lapses called for "severe punishment.""The Committee, therefore, recommend that Smt Mahua Moitra, MP may be expelled from the membership of the 17th Lok Sabha. In view of highly objectionable, unethical, heinous and criminal conduct of Smt. Mahua Moitra, the Committee recommend for an intense, legal, institutional inquiry by the Government of India in a time-bound manner," the Committee had reportedly said.