Bengal court issues arrest warrant against TMC MP Mahua Moitra
What's the story
A court in West Bengal has issued an arrest warrant against Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra. The Krishnanagar court took this decision on Wednesday after Moitra repeatedly failed to appear in a hate speech case, despite multiple summonses. The 3rd Judicial Magistrate at the Krishnanagar court ordered immediate issuance of the warrant and directed police to submit an execution report by August 28.
Court's observation
'Heckled outside court' reason for absence
The court had directed Moitra to appear by 5:00pm on Wednesday, but she failed to do so.
Her lawyer informed the court that the MP was apprehensive about being heckled outside the premises.
However, the court rejected this as a valid reason for her absence and criticized Moitra's "lackadaisical approach" toward complying with its orders.
The judge observed that her conduct showed "no respect for the court of law."
Court
'Series of disobedience of order of this court...'
"The series of disobedience of the order of this court .... goes to show the lackadaisical approach of the accused to comply with the court order and accordingly, this court is left with no other option but to issue a warrant of arrest against her," the judge said in the order.
Legal proceedings
Complaint against Moitra in June
The case against Moitra was filed in the Krishnanagar court on June 17, 2026. The complaint alleges that she insulted women and made statements amounting to hate speech.
It invokes provisions related to insulting the modesty of a woman, promoting enmity between groups, outraging religious feelings, criminal intimidation, and hate speech.
Despite repeated directions from the court to appear in connection with this complaint, Moitra failed to comply with summonses, leading to the issuance of an arrest warrant.
Separate dispute
Separate dispute with Nadia district officials
The arrest warrant comes amid a separate dispute between Moitra and Nadia district officials over her alleged late-night removal from a circuit house in Krishnanagar.
She had filed a privilege notice with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla against Nadia District Magistrate Srikant Palli, Additional District Magistrate Nirpendra Singh, and Nazareth Deputy Collector Anamika Bera.
In her notice, Moitra alleged that she was asked to vacate the premises after arriving at the circuit house on August 14.
Eviction controversy
Case awaits further developments, execution report due by August 28
In her complaint, Moitra questioned why she wasn't informed earlier about the circuit house's unavailability for maintenance and cleaning.
Citing the Ministry of Home Affairs's Order of Precedence, she argued that MPs are entitled to official accommodation during constituency visits.
"A woman MP, staying alone, being asked to vacate her rightful accommodation at 9.47 pm and then again at 10.52 pm not only gravely violates her rights, but brings into question the safety and security accorded to women," she said.