Supreme Court rejects Mahua Moitra's plea for virtual appearance in police probe

Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra appeared before the Supreme Court on Friday to challenge a Calcutta High Court directive that mandated her physical presence for a police investigation. The case stems from allegations of hate speech and provocative social media posts. Moitra's legal counsel, senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, requested that she be permitted to join the interrogation through video conferencing, citing concerns over potential safety risks, including the possibility of being targeted with eggs during her travel to the police station.

The bench, comprising Justices Dipankar Datta and Sheel Nagu, expressed skepticism toward the request and questioned why an elected representative should be granted special exemptions from standard investigative procedures. During the proceedings, the judges remarked that freedom fighters had faced bullets, questioning why a politician would fear being targeted with eggs. Following the court's clear disinclination to grant the relief, Moitra's counsel sought and received permission to withdraw the petition.