Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra Expelled From Lok Sabha

Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra was expelled from the Lok Sabha on December 8, 2023, by taking action in the cash-for-query case. The decision to expel Mahua Moitra from Parliament was taken on the basis of the report of the Code of Conduct Committee. Mahua Moitra is the 17th MP to be expelled from Parliament.

• BJP MP Vinod Kumar Sonkar presented the Ethics Committee report against Moitra in the Lok Sabha.
• Mahua Moitra was representing Krishnanagar parliamentary constituency of West Bengal by winning the election in 2019.

Accusation of asking questions after taking money:

• Mahua Moitra was accused of taking a bribe in exchange for asking questions in the House at the behest of businessman Darshan Hiranandani to target Adani Group and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Mahua has denied the allegation of asking questions after taking money.

Allegation of sharing ID-password of the parliamentary website:

• Mahua Moitra had shared her ID and password with Hiranandani to log into a confidential account on the parliamentary website so that they could post questions directly. Mahua has admitted to sharing the login details.

Background of Moitra case:

• BJP MP Nishikant Dubey had sent a written complaint against Mahua Moitra to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla through lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai. 
• Nishikant Dubey had alleged in a letter to the Lok Sabha Speaker that Mahua had asked a total of 61 questions in Parliament, out of which 50 questions were related only to the Adani Group. 
• According to Nishikant, Mahua had hatched a criminal conspiracy to benefit billionaire businessman Darshan Hiranandani, head of real estate conglomerate Hiranandani Group.
• An Ethics Committee was constituted under the chairmanship of Vinod Kumar Sonkar (BJP MP) to investigate the allegations made against Mahua Moitra by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey.
• The Lok Sabha Ethics Committee had submitted its report as early as December 2023, recommending Moitra's expulsion. 

MPs who were previously expelled from the House:

• This is not the first time that an MP has been expelled from the House. Following are some important facts related to this:
• Congress MP HG Mudgal was the first MP to be expelled from the House (1951).
• The expulsion of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi took place on December 14, 1978, based on a motion moved by then Prime Minister Morarji Desai and voted by the House.
• Jana Sangh leader Subramanian Swamy was expelled from the Rajya Sabha during the Emergency in 1976 for his abusive conduct.
• In 2005, then leader of the House Pranab Mukherjee had moved a motion to expel 10 members pending the presentation of the report in the Lok Sabha. This decision was taken after he was caught on camera taking money in exchange for asking questions in the House.
• Orissa's Chhatrapal Singh Lodha, who was also involved in the 2005 cash-for-questions scam, was expelled from the Rajya Sabha on the recommendations of the Ethics Committee.
• Vijay Mallya, an independent MP from Karnataka, faced expulsion from the Rajya Sabha.
• Congress leader Rahul Gandhi (Lok Sabha member from Wayanad, Kerala) was expelled from the Lok Sabha in March 2023. However, his Lok Sabha membership was restored in August 2023 after the Supreme Court stayed his conviction in the defamation case.
• In this way, a total of 17 MPs, from Congress MP HG Mudgal to Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, have been expelled from Parliament.

Mention in the Constitution regarding the conduct of MPs:

• Article 105 of the Indian Constitution sets out the powers and privileges of Parliament and its members and committees.
  • Whereas Article 122 of the Constitution provides immunity to the proceedings of the House from court challenge.