The Delhi High Court dealt a blow to Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Mahua Moitra on Friday, dismissing her plea aimed at restraining the Enforcement Directorate (ED) from allegedly leaking information related to a Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) case against her. Justice Subramonium Prasad dismissed Moitra’s petition after the federal agency refuted claims of releasing any press releases or divulging information to the media.
Moitra’s plea, filed seeking relief from alleged information leaks by the ED, faced rejection by the court, which reserved its order following Thursday’s hearing. The ED had issued summons to Moitra on February 15 to appear before it on February 19 in connection with the FEMA case. However, Moitra, expelled from the Lok Sabha in December, failed to comply with the summons, prompting the agency to issue fresh summons.
The FEMA case against Moitra involves undisclosed foreign transactions, as per officials familiar with the matter. The Enforcement Directorate initiated a probe based on this information, probing Moitra under the provisions of FEMA. Additionally, Moitra is under investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) regarding a preliminary enquiry (PE) related to an alleged cash-for-query case. This case led to her expulsion from the Lok Sabha, where she represented the Krishnanagar Lok Sabha constituency in West Bengal.
Sources By Agencies