Mahua Moitra bribe row: What will Lok Sabha Ethics Committee hear today?
15-member Lok Sabha Ethics Committee, headed by Vinod Kumar Sonkar, will today listen to Nishikant Dubey and Jai Anant Dehadrai.
The Lok Sabha Ethics Committee will hold its first meeting today in connection with the cash-for-question allegations brought against Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra. The committee has called BJP MP Nishikant Dubey and advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai to record their statement regarding the allegations they levelled against Mahua Moitra. "Oral Evidence of Shri Jai Anant Dehadrai, Advocate in respect of complaint dated 15 October, 2023 given by Dr. Nishikant Dubey, MP against Smt. Mahua Moitra, MP for alleged direct involvement in cash for query in Parliament. Oral evidence of Dr. Nishikant Dubey, MP, in respect of complaint dated 15 October, 2023 given by him against Smt. Mahua Moitra, MP for alleged direct involvement in cash for query in Parliament," the panel's schedule for Thursday said.
What is the Lok Saha Ethics Committee?
Lok Saha Ethics Committee came into force in 2015 with a mandate to oversee the moral and ethical conduct of the MPs. It is a permanent part of the Lok Sabha with a term period of one year. Currently, the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee is headed by BJP's Vinod Kumar Sonkar.
Who are the members of the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee?
BJP's Vishnu Datt Sharma, Sumedhanand Saraswati, Aparajita Sarangi, Dr Rajdeep Roy, Sunita Duggal, and Subhash Bhamre; Congress's V Vaithilingam, N Uttam Kumar Reddy, Balashowry Vallabbhaneni, and Preneet Kaur; Shiv Sena's Hemant Godse of the Shiv Sena; JD(U)'s Giridhari Yadav; CPI(M)'s PR Natarajan and BSP's Danish Ali are the members of the committee.
What are the allegations against Mahua Moitra?
Nishikant Dubey complained to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla that Mahua Moitra took gifts, cash from industrialist Darshan Hiranandani to ask questions on Adani in Parliament. The allegations were based on evidence shared by advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai, whom Mahua Moitra called her 'jilted ex'.
Darshan Hiranandani, the industrialist in question, has signed an affidavit admitting to having bribed Mahua Moitra to get questions in Parliament against Adani.