TMC Leader Mahua Moitra Vacates Delhi Bungalow

Former TMC MP Mahua Moitra, who was expelled from Lok Sabha last month, vacated her government bungalow on Friday.

"House number 9B Telegraph Lane in New Delhi occupied by Mahua Moitra was fully vacated by 10 am today morning and the possession was handed over by her lawyers to the Directorate of Estates who are inspecting and engaged in due process. The premises were vacated before authorities arrived and no eviction took place at all," said Moitra's office.

The Directorate of Estates had sent a team of officials to evict the TMC MP from her government accommodation, an official told PTI.

She was expelled from Lok Sabha on December 8 last year in a cash-for-query issue after the parliamentary ethics committee submitted its report. The former MP was held guilty of "unethical conduct" for allegedly accepting gifts from businessman Darshan Hiranandani and sharing her user ID and password of the Parliament website with him.

The DoE had asked her to vacate the bungalow by January 7 and she was given three days to respond to the notice.

On Thursday, the Delhi High Court refused to stay the eviction order issued to Moitra who had challenged her eviction and sought a stay on several notices sent by the DoE.

"...this court is not inclined to invoke jurisdiction under Article 226 of the Constitution of India at this stage to restrain the operation of the impugned eviction order. Accordingly, the application stands dismissed," Live Law quoted the court as saying.

It added: "The petitioner having been allotted the government accommodation incidental to her status as a Member of Parliament and that status having ceased upon her expulsion, which expulsion has not been stayed by the Hon'ble Supreme Court despite hearing afforded to her, presently she has no right to continue in the said government accommodation and accordingly, under Article 226 of the Constitution of India, she cannot be granted protection as sought."