Calcutta HC defers hearing on Mahua Moitra’s plea

The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday adjourned till September 7 Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra’s petition challenging the legality of an arrest warrant issued against her by a court in Nadia district’s Krishnanagar.

The high court had on August 24 stayed the arrest warrant that was issued due to Moitra’s alleged non-compliance with directions to appear before the magisterial court in Nadia.

A division bench of the high court, headed by Justice Debangsu Basak, adjourned the hearing in Moitra’s criminal revision application challenging the legality of the arrest warrant against her on a prayer by the parties in the matter.

The bench, also comprising Justice Aryak Dutt, directed that the matter would be heard on September 7.

The arrest warrant was issued in a case that was filed before the court in Nadia district, where it was alleged that the Krishnanagar MP insulted women and made hate speech.

According to Moitra’s lawyer Arko Kumar Nag, since the dates of her alleged speeches, as mentioned in the complaint, and the filing of the case against her were all during her being a member of Parliament, the case has to be tried before the designated MP/MLA court.

He also maintained that the allegations are baseless and frivolous, and that the complaint’s contents cannot be treated as a criminal offence.

A case was filed against Moitra alleging she insulted women and made hate speech, for which pre-cognisance summons were issued to her by the Krishnanagar court.

The third judicial magistrate at Krishnanagar Court, noting that she failed to appear before the court despite repeated summonses, ordered on August 19 that an arrest warrant be issued against Moitra.