Mahua Moitra, Delhi High Court
Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra has taken legal action, moving the Delhi High Court to prevent the Enforcement Directorate (ED) from disclosing sensitive and unverified information to the media regarding the agency’s investigation into her alleged violations of the Foreign Exchange Maintenance Act, 1999 (FEMA).
Moitra has included 19 media outlets as parties in her case, seeking an injunction to stop them from publishing or disseminating any “unverified, unconfirmed, false, derogatory content” about her related to these proceedings. She also requested that they ensure all news reporting and publication align with official press releases issued by the ED.
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Scheduled to be heard by Justice Subramonium Prasad on Thursday, Moitra’s writ petition alleges that the ED leaked information to the media about her summons before she even received them. Additionally, details of the allegations against her and her request for more time to appear before the agency were allegedly leaked.
The petition asserts that the ED’s actions violate established legal procedures by divulging “confidential, half-baked, speculative/unconfirmed information to the media,” thereby compromising the integrity of the investigation. Moitra contends that such leaks impede the investigative process and infringe upon her rights to privacy, dignity, and a fair investigation.
According to reports, the ED issued a summons to Moitra last week, directing her to appear before it on February 19 at its headquarters in Delhi, accompanied by certain documents related to foreign investments. It was further reported that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is conducting a preliminary inquiry into the allegations against her, initiated by a reference from the Lokpal.