The Lokpal, India's anti-corruption ombudsman, granted approval on November 15, 2025, allowing the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to file a chargesheet against Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra within four weeks in the high-profile "cash-for-query" scandal, marking a significant escalation in the probe into alleged parliamentary misconduct. The decision, taken by the Lokpal's full bench during a meeting on November 12, stems from the CBI's preliminary inquiry report submitted in late July, which substantiated claims of corruption under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Moitra, the fiery 50-year-old MP from Krishnanagar in Nadia district, faces accusations of accepting cash and gifts from Dubai-based businessman Darshan Hiranandani in exchange for targeting industrialist Gautam Adani and Prime Minister Narendra Modi through targeted questions in the Lok Sabha. The Lokpal also directed the CBI to furnish a copy of the chargesheet to it, underscoring the watchdog's oversight in a case that has polarised political lines since its eruption in 2023.
The controversy ignited in November 2023 when BJP MP Nishikant Dubey filed a privilege motion, alleging Moitra compromised her parliamentary duties by sharing her Lok Sabha login credentials with Hiranandani, enabling him to draft 58 questions—many critical of Adani's business dealings and government policies—from her account. Dubey claimed this arrangement posed national security risks, as it potentially allowed external influence over legislative discourse.
The Ethics Committee, chaired by BJP's Vinod Kumar Sonkar, investigated and recommended Moitra's expulsion from the House on December 8, 2023, citing "unethical conduct" and breach of privilege, a move TMC decried as vendetta politics amid Moitra's vocal opposition to the BJP. The CBI formally registered an FIR against Moitra and Hiranandani on March 21, 2024, following Lokpal's reference, probing bribery and undue advantages that allegedly spanned from 2021 to 2023.
Moitra, undeterred by the expulsion, challenged it in the Supreme Court, arguing procedural lapses and gender bias, with the matter pending hearing as of November 2025. Her resilience shone through in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, where she retained Krishnanagar with a resounding 1.99 lakh-vote margin over BJP's Amrita Roy, despite the cash-for-query shadow and intense campaigning by both national parties.
TMC Chief Mamata Banerjee staunchly backed her, framing the case as a BJP-orchestrated smear to silence a vocal critic of crony capitalism, while Moitra herself dismissed the allegations as "fabricated" on social media, vowing to expose the "Adani-Modi nexus" through legal channels. Hiranandani, who reportedly gifted her a luxury flat in Delhi (later returned), has denied wrongdoing, claiming the questions addressed legitimate public interest issues like airport contracts.
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This Lokpal nod intensifies scrutiny on parliamentary ethics in an era of rising cash-for-influence scandals, echoing cases like the 2015 Vyapam probe, and could influence TMC's strategy ahead of West Bengal's 2026 assembly elections.
As the CBI gears up for court proceedings—potentially involving witness testimonies from parliamentary staff and digital forensics on login trails—the outcome may redefine accountability for MPs, balancing free speech with anti-corruption imperatives. For Moitra, a lawyer-turned-politician known for her sharp oratory, the next four weeks loom as a crucible, testing her political mettle in a saga that blends intrigue, power plays, and the unyielding pursuit of transparency in India's democratic machinery.
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