The Supreme Court will hear an urgent application on Friday from Trinamool Congress lawmaker Mahua Moitra seeking government lodging during her scheduled constituency tour for the Durga Puja festival.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi scheduled the matter for Friday after the parliamentarian’s counsel requested swift interim relief. Moitra is seeking permission to reside at the state-run Circuit House in Krishnanagar, the district headquarters of Nadia in West Bengal, which serves as her parliamentary constituency.
During proceedings, Justice Bagchi observed that requisite arrangements must be made if the petitioner intends to visit her constituency.
Counsel Gopal Sankaranarayanan, representing the Krishnanagar MP, pressed for an immediate order given that the festival commences on Friday. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing on behalf of the West Bengal government, sought an adjournment until next week to submit a formal response. Mehta indicated that an overnight reply could be submitted if the matter required immediate disposal, countering accusations from the petitioner’s counsel that the state was attempting to delay the proceedings.
Earlier Eviction and Security Complaints
The plea forms part of an ongoing legal intervention before the top court, which had previously directed the West Bengal administration and associated authorities on Oct. 1 to respond to Moitra’s petition concerning security arrangements during her local visits.
The Trinamool Congress MP moved the court following an alleged incident on the night of Aug. 14, in which she claimed Nadia district administration officials forced her out of the state-owned Circuit House despite having an approved room allocation. Moitra stated on social media that an agitated crowd assembled outside the facility chanting religious slogans after she initially declined to vacate the property.
Representation to Lok Sabha Speaker
Following the August dispute, the parliamentarian escalated the issue to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, requesting institutional intervention over what she termed official harassment.
In her formal correspondence to the Speaker, Moitra noted that administrative staff gave no prior notice of any reservation restrictions either during the initial booking or upon her check-in. She further contended that the Circuit House is located directly across from the official residences of the district magistrate and the superintendent of police, an area designated as secure where unauthorised crowds should not have been permitted to assemble.
