SC defers hearing on Mahua Moitra's plea against expulsion till Jan 3
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Friday deferred the hearing on a plea of Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra challenging her expulsion from the Lok Sabha till January 3 next year.
Moitra challenged her expulsion in the top court after the Lok Sabha adopted the report of its ethics committee that held her guilty of accepting gifts and illegal gratification from a businessman.
As soon as the matter was taken up for hearing, a bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and SVN Bhatti told senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, who was appearing for Moitra, that the bench had not gone through the case files and it would like to hear it upon reopening of the court after winter break, which ends on January 3.
On December 8, after a heated debate in the Lok Sabha over the panel report -- Moitra was not allowed to speak --, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi moved a motion to expel the TMC MP from the House for "unethical conduct," which was adopted by a voice vote.
The ethics committee found Moitra guilty of "unethical conduct" and contempt of the House as she shared her Lok Sabha members' portal credentials -- user ID and password -- with unauthorised people, which had an irrepressible impact on national security, Joshi had said.
The committee had also recommended that in view of the "highly objectionable, unethical, heinous and criminal conduct" of Moitra, an intense legal and institutional inquiry be initiated by the government with a set deadline.
The motion moved by Joshi said Moitra's "conduct has further been found to be unbecoming as an MP for accepting gifts and illegal gratification from a businessman to further his interest, which is a serious misdemeanour and highly-deplorable conduct" on her part.
Earlier, ethics committee Chairman Vinod Kumar Sonkar had tabled the first report of the panel on a complaint filed by Bharatiya Janata Party MP Nishikant Dubey against Moitra.
In October, Dubey, on the basis of a complaint submitted by Supreme Court lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai, alleged that Moitra had asked questions in the Lok Sabha in exchange for cash and gifts from businessman Darshan Hiranandani to mount an attack on industrialist Gautam Adani and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In an affidavit to the ethics committee on October 19, Hiranandani claimed that Moitra had provided him with her login ID and password for the Lok Sabha members' website.
The Central Bureau of Investigation has already filed a preliminary FIR in the case.
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CM Yogi invites Singapore's Global Indian Schools to Lucknow
Singapore (PTI): Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has invited Singapore-based Global India International School (GIIS) group to set up its model in Lucknow.
The visiting Chief Minister appreciated GIIS as a school modelled on the values of Excellence and Skills upgradation.
He invited the school group to set up its model in Lucknow during his address to the Indian diaspora.
Yogi observed this and encouraged GIIS to continue on this path and bring this excellence to Lucknow.
"We are humbled by his invitation and will definitely take steps in the right direction," said Atul Temurnikar, chairman and co-founder of the Global Schools Group, the parent of GIIS and 64 international campuses across major Asian capital cities as well as the United Kingdom.
"GIIS has always been an innovative organisation where the student is the focal point. Our goal is to bring the best education to every child, and an up-and-coming Uttar Pradesh can be our next step in that direction,” Temurnikar told PTI on Tuesday.
The Group, which has 64 international campuses, hosted the Chief Minister Adityanath at its One World International School campus for dialogue and interaction with the Indian diaspora on Monday evening.
Temurnikar noted that it was a meaningful dialogue on the state’s expanding investment landscape after hosting 1,500 Indians based in Singapore at the interaction.
“Uttar Pradesh has a promising future under his leadership, which is evident from the state’s strong focus on infrastructure, industry, and governance. It is presenting significant opportunities for global collaboration, he said.
“The success of this evening (interaction) reflects the growing interest within the Indian diaspora in contributing to India’s economic growth and long-term development,” added Temurnikar.
