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Mahua Moitra's plea seeking stay on eviction order dismissed by Delhi high court
Mahua Moitra's counsel pleaded to the court to not throw Mahua out of her house as she is hospitalised now and has no other address in Delhi.
The Delhi high court on Thursday dismissed Trinamool leader Mahua Moitra’s plea seeking a stay on the order directing her to vacate the government accommodation immediately. The court was of the view that Mahua Moitra did not have the right to continue in the government accommodation since she was allotted the accommodation as a Lok Sabha MP, a post that she no longer holds following her expulsion.
“The allotment of government accommodation to the petitioner was co-terminus with her status, which has come to an end upon her expulsion. No specific Rule has been brought before this court which would deal with the eviction of Members of Parliament from the government accommodation after they cease to be the members,” the court said in the order.
Mahua Moitra says she's hospitalised
During the hearing, Mahua Moitra's counsel said Mahua Moitra is undergoing treatment at a hospital. The counsel pleaded to the court not to throw a single woman who is hospitalised at the moment out of her residence.
“Whatever you wish to charge, I am ready to pay. Don’t throw me out. I have a medical condition. I am being treated at Medanta Hospital here and was in ICU. I have no other house in Delhi. Treat it as my mercy petition. I am pleading for mercy,” the counsel submitted on Mahua Moitra's behalf and added that Moitra was the first woman to be expelled from Parliament.
Mahua Moitra's counsel Brij Gupta told the court that she would need at least four months to vacate the property but even two and 2.5 months would be fine.
“You say you are ill and you need some time, on these grounds... Why four months? Why not three days to vacate? My thought is if you would have said three days, four days or a week, they would have looked into it,” the judge said.
Moitra’s counsel said courts have considered humanitarian aspects in matters like these and allowed people to stay on in government accommodations.
Mahua Moitra was expelled from the Lok Sabha on December 8 last year and was asked to vacate the house by January 7.
(With inputs from PTI)
