The Delhi High Court on Monday directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and all concerned parties to maintain strict confidentiality regarding the agency’s report submitted to the Lokpal in connection with the alleged “cash-for-query” scam involving Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra.
Justice Sachin Datta issued the directive while hearing Moitra’s plea alleging that the media was informed immediately after the CBI filed its report before the anti-corruption ombudsman. “Confidentiality be maintained… There is no doubt that confidentiality has to be maintained. Everyone is bound to maintain it,” the judge observed, adding that a detailed order would follow.
Moitra’s counsel argued that while no takedown of news reports was being sought, the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act and relevant circulars mandated secrecy in such proceedings and should be adhered to.
The CBI had registered an FIR on March 21 last year against Moitra and Dubai-based businessman Darshan Hiranandani under the Prevention of Corruption Act, acting on a reference from the Lokpal. The agency’s report, filed last month, follows allegations by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey that Moitra accepted cash and gifts from Hiranandani in exchange for asking parliamentary questions targeting industrialist Gautam Adani and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
According to the FIR, Moitra allegedly compromised parliamentary privileges and posed national security risks by sharing her Lok Sabha login credentials with Hiranandani. The Lokpal will now decide on the next steps based on the CBI’s findings.
Moitra, expelled from the 17th Lok Sabha in December 2023 for “unethical conduct” — a decision she has challenged before the Supreme Court — retained her Krishnanagar seat in the 2024 general elections, defeating BJP’s Amrita Roy.
