In a significant development in the ‘cash-for-query’ scandal, the Lokpal of India has granted approval to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to file a chargesheet against Trinamool Congress (TMC) Member of Parliament Mahua Moitra. The decision, taken by the Lokpal’s full bench on November 12, directs the CBI to submit the chargesheet to the appropriate court within four weeks and provide a copy to the anti-corruption ombudsman.
The Lokpal order stated, “In exercise of powers under Section 20(7)(a) read with Section 23(1) of the Act of 2013, we accord sanction to the Investigating Agency (CBI) to file a chargesheet before the court of competent jurisdiction against the named RPS and others (DHN), within four weeks from today, and submit a copy of the same along with the documents filed therewith in the Registry of the Lokpal, for being considered further.”
The case stems from allegations that Moitra, the TMC MP from Krishnanagar, accepted cash, luxury gifts, and other undue advantages from Dubai-based businessman Darshan Hiranandani in exchange for raising targeted questions in Parliament against industrialist Gautam Adani and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, who first flagged the issue in October 2023, accused Moitra of compromising parliamentary privileges by sharing her Lok Sabha login credentials with Hiranandani, potentially posing a national security risk.
Moitra didn’t deny allowing Hiranandani to her parliamentary IDs, claiming that MPs regularly let their assistants to file questions on the Sansad portal. Darshan Hiranandani purportedly operated Moitra’s Lok Sabha account from Dubai and submitted questions against Gautam Adani on behalf of the TMC MP. In exchange, Mahua Moitra received heavy favours from the builder in cash and kind.
The controversy erupted in November 2023 when Dubey submitted a complaint to the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee, supported by a purported WhatsApp conversation and a list of 59 parliamentary questions allegedly scripted by Hiranandani. The Ethics Committee, in a 6-0 vote, recommended Moitra’s expulsion from the Lok Sabha for “unethical conduct,” leading to her ouster on December 8, 2023.
Darshan Hiranandani has turned approver in the case, and confirmed that he was allowed to log into the parliament portal using Moitra’s credentials. He also accepted paying for most of the questions asked by Mahua Moitra in the Lok Sabha in the form of cash and gifts.
Moitra challenged her expulsion in the Supreme Court, which has yet to deliver a final verdict. However, after the term of the Lok Sabha was over, she contested and won the Krishnanagar seat in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, returning to Parliament as an opposition MP.
In March 2024, the CBI registered a case against Mahua Moitra, Darshan Hiranandani, and unknown others under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act (7, 8 and 12) and Section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The CBI’s investigation culminated in a detailed report submitted to the Lokpal in late July 2025. The report allegedly mentions evidence of bribes, including cash payments, high-end gadgets, and foreign trips, funnelled through Moitra’s associates.