Notice Issued to Former TMC MP Mahua Moitra for Non-Compliance with Government Bungalow Eviction
In a recent development, former Trinamool Congress (TMC) Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra has been served a notice by the Directorate of Estates (DoE) for failing to vacate her government bungalow, as confirmed by a source within the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry.
Mahua Moitra, who faced expulsion from Lok Sabha on December 8 last year, was initially directed to vacate the residence by January 7 following the cancellation of her allotment. The DoE has now escalated the matter by issuing a show cause notice, demanding Moitra’s response within a three-day window.
The source revealed, “A show cause notice has been issued to Mahua Moitra, seeking her reply within three days as to why she has still not vacated her government accommodation.”
On January 4, the Delhi High Court intervened in Moitra’s challenge to an official intimation instructing her to vacate the government bungalow by January 7. The court instructed the TMC leader to approach the DoE with a request to allow her continued occupancy of the allotted government accommodation.
Justice Subramoniun Prasad acknowledged that, in exceptional circumstances, the rules permit authorities to allow a resident to overstay for up to six months, provided certain charges are paid. The court granted Moitra the option to withdraw her petition and emphasized that it had not made any observations on the merits of the matter. It entrusted the Directorate of Estates with the responsibility to decide her case independently.
The court underscored the legal mandate of issuing a notice to a resident before eviction, emphasizing that the government must follow due legal processes for eviction.
Moitra’s expulsion from Lok Sabha in December 2023 was attributed to her being found guilty of “unethical conduct.” Allegations included accepting gifts from businessman Darshan Hiranandani and sharing her user ID and password of the Parliament website with him.
