The Supreme Court will on Friday hear Trinamul Congress MP Mahua Moitra's plea to stay at a Circuit House in her Krishnanagar constituency. Justice Bagchi observed, "If the petitioner wishes to visit her constituency, necessary arrangements have to be made." The state government sought more time to file a response.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court will on Friday hear Trinamul Congress MP Mahua Moitra's plea seeking permission to stay at a Circuit House during her visit to her Krishnanagar parliamentary constituency in West Bengal for Durga Puja.
The matter came before Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi on Thursday.
"If the petitioner wishes to visit her constituency, necessary arrangements have to be made," Justice Bagchi observed.
Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for Moitra, sought interim relief to enable her to visit the constituency during the festival, which begins on Friday.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the West Bengal government, sought time to file a response.
"It may be kept next week. I will file the reply," he said.
"If it's to be sensationalised, I will file a reply overnight...," Mehta said when Moitra's counsel objected to the adjournment.
On October 1, the Supreme Court had sought responses from the West Bengal government and others on Moitra's plea seeking adequate protection during her constituency visit.
The MP alleged that Nadia district administration officials had evicted her from the state-owned Circuit House despite having allotted her a room.
In an August 14 social media post, she claimed that a large crowd gathered outside the Circuit House, raising "Jai Shri Ram" slogans, after she refused to leave.
Moitra subsequently wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla seeking his intervention.