23 March 2024, Kolkata: According to officials, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has begun searching Mahua Moitra, the leader of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), in her West Bengal residence and other locations in relation to the suspected cash-for-query case.

A First Information Report, often known as a FIR, was filed against Mahua Moitra by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) the day before.

A request was made earlier this week to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to investigate the charges that have been made against Ms. Moitra and to provide a report within a period of six months.

They said that in response to the Lokpal's orders for the agency to provide a report within six months, the CBI filed a formal complaint against the former TMC MP on Thursday. Additionally, the CBI was required to submit monthly periodic reports outlining the investigation's progress. 

Mahua Moitra was dismissed from the Lok Sabha in December due to "unethical conduct." She is a TMC candidate running for the West Bengal seat of Krishnanagar in the next general elections, and she has filed a challenge against her expulsion with the Supreme Court.

Following allegations that she had accepted payments from businessman Darshan Hiranandani in exchange for asking questions in Parliament that were critical of the Narendra Modi government, an ethics panel made a recommendation that the (now-former) member of parliament be removed from her appointment.

In addition to this, she was accused of handing over sensitive log-in credentials for the legislative website in order to allow Mr. Hiranandani to post questions directly. The allegations of bribery were refuted by Ms. Moitra, but she did admit to having disclosed the login information. She said that it is usual procedure for members of parliament to share information of this nature.

She has filed a petition with the Supreme Court to overturn her expulsion.

Who is Mahua Moitra?
Mahua Moitra was born on October 12th, 1974 in Labac, which is located in the Cachar district of Assam. His father's name was Dwipendra Lal Moitra. In her family, she comes from a Bengali Hindu Brahmin background. 

During her time in Kolkata, Moitra attended the Gokhale Memorial Girls' School. The year 1998 saw her graduation from Mount Holyoke College South Hadley in Massachusetts, United States, where she received degrees in economics and mathematics.

Mahua Moitra is an All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) leader and Lok Sabha MP from Krishnanagar and former investment banker. As a result of the recommendation made by the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee, she was disqualified and expelled from the Lok Sabha on December 8, 2023. This was due to the fact that she had shared her login and password through the NIC portal.

Between the years 2016 and 2019, Moitra stood as a representative for Karimpur in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly. During that time, he also held the positions of general secretary and national spokesperson for the All India Trade Congress (AITC). Moitra was given the position of AITC District President of Krishnanagar (Nadia North) in November of 2023. Prior to entering politics, she worked as an investment banker at its parent company, JPMorgan Chase.