Kolkata, 01 October (H.S.): The Calcutta High Court has extended the interim protection from arrest granted to Trinamool Congress (TMC) Member of Parliament Mahua Moitra until January 29 in a case concerning the alleged hurting of religious sentiments. While passing the order on Thursday, the single-judge bench of Justice Saugata Bhattacharya clarified that the police investigation into the matter will proceed, and the parliamentarian is legally bound to cooperate fully with the investigating agencies. The court has scheduled the next hearing for this case on January 13.

Concurrently, the court has also extended her security cover until November 30 in connection with a recent incident where eggs were hurled at her in her parliamentary constituency.

The controversy surrounding the religious sentiments case erupted in the aftermath of the recent state assembly elections. According to the police complaint, the parliamentarian allegedly made religiously objectionable remarks during a live broadcast from her official Facebook handle on June 15. The following day, Hirak Bhattacharya, the general secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Karimpur Mandal-4, lodged a formal written complaint against her at the Hogalberia police station in Nadia district. Based on this complaint, the police registered a First Information Report (FIR) and initiated an investigation. Challenging the police action, Moitra approached the High Court, and in July, Justice Bhattacharya's bench granted her interim protection from any coercive action until October 5, a mandate that has now been further extended.

In a separate development, the Krishnanagar MP recently faced intense protests and an egg-pelting incident within her own constituency.

The incident occurred when she arrived at the party office located at the Haulia Park crossing in Tehatta to hold a meeting with local leaders and party workers. It is alleged that upon receiving news of her arrival, a group of BJP supporters gathered at the spot, staged a protest, and hurled eggs at her. Following this, Moitra filed a petition in the High Court citing a severe threat to her life and stating that the lack of adequate security was hindering her ability to function smoothly in her constituency. Responding to her plea, the court had previously ordered the deployment of two police personnel for her security during her visits to the constituency, a directive that now stands extended until November 30.

However, there has been a procedural shift regarding the legal proceedings associated with the egg-pelting incident. A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) concerning these events was recently filed in the court of the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court, Ravindra V. Ghuge. The Chief Justice has categorically stated that all matters related to the egg-pelting incidents will now be exclusively heard by his bench. In light of this definitive directive, Justice Saugata Bhattacharya formally recused himself on Thursday from hearing the specific case pertaining to the egg-pelting incident involving Mahua Moitra.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh