Delhi HC Permits Mahua Moitra to Withdraw Plea Challenging DoE Eviction Notice

The Delhi High Court on Friday granted expelled Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra permission to withdraw her petition challenging the eviction notice issued by the Directorate of Estates (DoE) instructing her to vacate the government accommodation allocated to her.

Moitra’s counsel conveyed that the plea had become moot since she had already vacated the premises.

A bench of Justice Sachin Datta remarked, “The petitioner is already stated to have vacated the accommodation in question. The petition is dismissed as withdrawn.”

The TMC leader relocated from the government bungalow on January 19, following the high court’s denial of interim relief. On January 18, the court rejected Moitra’s application seeking to prevent authorities from evicting her from the government residence after the cancellation of her allotment due to her expulsion on medical grounds.

Moitra, a single woman undergoing treatment at a local hospital, expressed readiness to pay any charges. However, the high court noted that the matter of her expulsion was pending before the Supreme Court, and the extension of time to vacate the government accommodation was intertwined with that issue. As of the current date, she “has no right.”

The eviction notice directing Moitra to vacate the bungalow immediately was issued on January 16. Previously, she was directed to vacate the house by January 7 following the cancellation of her allotment. Moitra was expelled from the Lok Sabha on December 8, with guilt attributed to “unethical conduct” for allegedly receiving gifts and favors from businessman Darshan Hiranandani in exchange for posing questions targeting his business rival, Gautam Adani.