'Cash-for-query' case: Congress' Adhir seeks review of Parl panel processes on Mahua Moitra's expulsion

'Cash-for-query' case: Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla asking for a comprehensive review of parliamentary committee processes involved in the expulsion of Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra in connection with the "cash-for-query" case. 

The report of the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee is scheduled to be tabled in the Lower House of Parliament on December 4 during the Winter Session, PTI reported on Friday. The Ethics Committee, headed by BJP MP Vinod Sonkar, accepted the report against the Trinamool MP on November 9.

Chowdhury had written a letter to the committee citing concerns regarding the scrutiny and transparency of the Ethics Committee's proceedings. In this letter, he highlighted potential ambiguities in the roles of the Privileges and Ethics Committees and the absence of clear guidelines for penal powers.

"The Dubai based businessman who purportedly had access to the “log-in credentials” of the Member, Ms. Mahua Moitra to the Lok Sabha Portal and was placing questions on her behalf was, as per reports, possibly not called by the committee for deposing. It is also not clearly known as to why the businessman chose to turn against the Member despite his interests apparently being served by way of posing questions by using the Log in credentials," the letter read.

He further wrote: "Accepting gifts and giving gifts, which may appear to be expensive depending on the yardstick applied is a common social practice and it would be extremely difficult to link or attribute accepting gifts to be a money trial for deriving favours."

Chowdhury, who is a MP from Berhampore, West Bengal, also questioned the unprecedented recommendation of expulsion, citing its gravity and far-reaching implications.

“Expulsion from Parliament, you will agree Sir, is an extremely serious punishment and has very wide ramifications,” he said.

Chowdhury, who is also chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, added that the views expressed by him are in his personal capacity.

In response, Moitra dismissed the decision as a "prefixed match by a kangaroo court" and deemed it a "death of parliamentary democracy."

Last month, CBI had registered a preliminary enquiry against Moitra on a reference from anti-corruption ombudsman Lokpal. 

The CBI has registered a preliminary enquiry which is the first step towards ascertaining if the allegations merit a full-fledged investigation. If enough prima facie material is found during the PE, the CBI can convert it into an FIR.

Also read: Cash-for-query' case: Congress' Adhir seeks review of Parl panel processes on Mahua Moitra's expulsion