Mahua Moitra gets no relief from Supreme Court over expulsion from Parliament
New Delhi/IBNS: In no relief for Trinamool Congress' firebrand leader, the Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to hear Mahua Moitra's plea challenging her expulsion from Parliament over "cash for query" charges brought against her, media reports said.
The top court said it will first examine whether it has the jurisdiction to hear the case.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who appeared for Lok Sabha Secretary General, said the Supreme Court should not interfere in matters of Parliament, which has its own sovereignty.
"If we have the power of judicial review, we will investigate," the Supreme Court said as quoted by NDTV.
The next hearing will take place on March 11.
Moitra, now a former MP from West Bengal's Krishnanagar constituency, was expelled from the Lok Sabha on Friday over a report by the Ethics Committee on the 'cash for query' charges against her.
The TMC leader is accused of taking bribes from businessman Darshan Hiranandani in exchange for asking questions that are critical of the Narendra Modi-led government in the Centre.
The Krishnanagar MP was even accused of surrendering log-in credentials to a confidential account on the parliamentary website which would enable Hiranandani to post questions directly.
She denied the bribery charges but admitted sharing login details.