The TMC MP’s remarks against former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi and the sexual harassment allegations against him had created an uproar in Parliament.
The Union government has decided not to take any action against Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra for her remarks against former Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi and the allegations of sexual harassment levelled against him in 2019. The Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi had reportedly said on Wednesday that a privilege motion could be moved against Moitra for her remarks about Justice Gogoi. Moitra had lashed out at the government for making “hate and bigotry” a part of its narrative and had also alleged that the judiciary and the media had also “failed” the country, in a strong-worded speech during the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address on Monday. Although Moitra had refrained from naming Gogoi in her speech in the Parliament, she mentioned the sexual harassment charges that were made against him in 2019. Here is what she had said: The sacred cow that was the judiciary is no longer sacred. It stopped being sacred day a sitting CJI was accused of sexual harassment, presided over own trial, cleared himself & accepted a nomination to Upper House within 3 months of retirement replete with Z+ security cover pic.twitter.com/ODFn2pd2Z1 — Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) February 9, 2021 Her remarks created an uproar in the Lok Sabha, with Treasury members accusing her of violating Parliamentary rules and demanding that her remarks be expunged. RSP MP NK Premachandran, who was in the Chair, said that her remarks would be expunged if found objectionable and Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal termed her comments against the former CJI as “shameful.” Moitra, while responding to reports of a possible breach of privilege motion being initiated against her, she had tweeted, “It would be a privilege indeed if a breach of privilege motion is initiated against me for speaking the truth during India’s darkest hour.” It would be a privelege indeed if a breach of privelege motion is initiated against me for speaking the truth during India’s darkest hour — Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) February 8, 2021 However, NDTV quoted sources as saying that legal opinion said that a former CJI is not ‘higher’ authority and therefore Moitra had not, in fact, breached the rule. Moitra in her speech on Monday had hit out at the government for “hiding behind power and authority” and alleged that it has made a “virtual police state” by charging critical voices with sedition.
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