Calcutta HC quashes arrest warrant against Mahua

There was a big relief for Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra when the Calcutta High Court on Monday quashed the arrest warrant against her, issued by a Krishnagar district court, and transferred her case to the special MP-MLA court in Bidhannagar, Kolkata.

The order was passed by the Division Bench of Justice Debangshu Basak and Justice Aryak Dutta.

The district court had, on August 19, issued an arrest warrant against Moitra for not appearing before it despite repeated summons. The TMC leader was summoned after FIRs were lodged against her for allegedly hurting the religious sentiments of some community.

Moitra had earlier contended that it was becoming difficult for her to appear before the court because of security reasons, as members of the BJP were blocking her path and she feared an attack from them. She had reminded the court of how the TMC leaders were being attacked, and eggs were hurled at them in public.

Moitra’s counsel told the High Court that the court below had not heard her side before issuing the order. The lawyer said that she had in fact appeared before the Court on August 18 the scheduled date of hearing but the Court did not assemble because of a lawyers’ strike on that date. Besides, the advocate also contended that as Moitra was a sitting MP, her case should be heard in an appropriate forum, that is, the MP MLA court.

After hearing her side, the Court quashed the arrest warrant and transferred the case to the designated court.