New Delhi: Former Trinamool Congress member of Parliament Mahua Moitra, who was expelled from Lok Sabha in December, vacated her government accommodation Friday morning, a day after her plea for a stay on the eviction was dismissed by the Delhi High Court.
A team of officials of the Directorate of Estates (DoE), under the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, reached Moitra’s residence at 9B, Telegraph Lane Friday to evict her, but the Trinamool Congress leader had left the government accommodation on Thursday evening.
Moitra’s counsel Shadan Farasat told ThePrint, “The house was vacated by Mahua Moitra Thursday evening and the property was handed over to officials from the Directorate of Estates Friday morning. The premise was vacated much before the authorities arrived and no eviction took place.”
ThePrint has reached the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs for a comment on WhatsApp. The article will be updated as and when a response is received.
In December last year, Moitra was expelled from Lok Sabha after the Ethics Committee ruled her conduct “unethical”. She was accused of taking “bribes” for asking questions in Parliament on behalf of Dubai-based businessman Darshan Hiranandani, to allegedly target billionaire Gautam Adani and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The charge was denied by Moitra, and she has moved Supreme Court against the expulsion.
On 16 January, the DoE served an eviction notice to Moitra. A DoE official said, “According to the rules, an MP will have to vacate the government accommodation within one month after he/she is expelled from the Parliament. The eviction proceedings are initiated after the second notice is issued to the former MP. In Mahua Moitra’s case, the second notice was served on 16 January.”
MPs evicted in the past
Moitra is not the first MP against whom eviction action has been taken, or notice to vacate sent, by the DoE, which allots government accommodation to MPs and government officials.
In 2022, former Union minister and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) leader late Ram Vilas Paswan was evicted from his 12, Janpath bungalow, which had been with the family for more than three decades.
The DoE also issued eviction orders or notices to vacate to several BJP leaders such as Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, Ram Shankar Katheria and P.C. Sarangi, as they continued to stay on in government-allocated accommodations even when no longer Union ministers.
In March last year, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi was asked to vacate his 12, Tughlak Lane bungalow after he was disqualified from the Lok Sabha following conviction in a defamation case
In 2014, Rashtriya Lok Dal leader and former Union minister late Ajit Singh was served an eviction notice when he failed to vacate his allocated after his defeat in the Lok Sabha elections.
(Edited by Tikli Basu)
Also read: Delhi HC refuses to stay notice asking Mahua Moitra to vacate government accommodation