Newdelhi,Oct 15, 2026 12:56 ISTThe Supreme Court will on Friday hear Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra's plea seeking permission to stay at a Circuit House during a visit to her Krishnanagar parliamentary constituency in West Bengal for Durga Puja.
Moitra has also sought adequate protection during the visit, alleging that local officials had previously forced her out of the state-owned facility even though she had been formally allotted a room.
The case was presented before a bench consisting of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi. Justice Bagchi noted during the proceedings that appropriate arrangements must be made if the petitioner intends to travel to her constituency.
Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, representing Moitra, pressed for immediate interim relief so the lawmaker could travel to her constituency for the festival, which begins on Friday. Meanwhile, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, acting for the West Bengal government, requested that the matter be scheduled for the following week to allow time for a formal response. When Moitra's legal team objected to what they called an unnecessary delay, Mehta countered that he would submit a reply overnight if the matter was going to be sensationalized.
Earlier on October 1, the bench directed the West Bengal government and other respondents to reply to Moitra's application for security during her constituency tour. Moitra maintains that administration officials in the Nadia district, where Krishnanagar serves as headquarters, removed her from the Circuit House despite her valid booking.
In a public social media statement, Moitra previously alleged that a hostile crowd massed outside the facility on the night of August 14, shouting slogans after she declined to vacate the property. She also escalated the matter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, requesting his intervention and warning that she would pursue legal action over the alleged mistreatment.
The parliamentarian pointed out that the Circuit House sits directly opposite the official residences of the district magistrate and the superintendent of police, and should have provided a secure environment free from unauthorized crowds. The Supreme Court will address her requests for accommodation and security during her holiday visit on Friday.