Cash-for-query case: Delhi HC directs Lokpal to review CBI sanction in Mahua Moitra case

The Delhi High Court on Friday granted the Lokpal an additional two months to decide whether to grant sanction to the CBI to file a chargesheet against Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra in the alleged cash-for-query scam. A bench of Justices Anil Kshetarpal and Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar extended the deadline but made it clear that no further extensions would be permitted. The decision came after both the CBI and Moitra’s legal team did not oppose the Lokpal’s request for more time. “The period of disposal is extended by two months while observing that no further request for extension of time will be entertained,” the court ordered.

The cash-for-query case centers on allegations that Mahua Moitra , a two-time TMC MP from Krishnanagar, West Bengal , accepted cash and gifts from businessman Darshan Hiranandani in exchange for asking questions in the Lok Sabha . The CBI registered an FIR on March 21, 2024, under the Prevention of Corruption Act , following a reference from the Lokpal. The FIR further alleges that Moitra not only took bribes but also shared her Lok Sabha login credentials , which could have posed national security risks. The agency submitted its investigation report to the Lokpal in July 2025. In November 2025, the Lokpal granted sanction to the CBI to file a chargesheet. Moitra challenged this order in the Delhi High Court, arguing that the Lokpal had not followed the correct legal procedure in granting the sanction.

On December 19, 2025, the High Court set aside the Lokpal’s November order and directed it to reconsider the sanction under Section 20 of the Lokpal Act , strictly following legal provisions. The court noted a “clear departure” from the procedure mandated by the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 , and said the Lokpal had erred in its interpretation of the law.

With the latest extension, the Lokpal now has two months to decide whether the CBI can file the chargesheet against Moitra. The court has made it clear that no further extensions will be allowed, keeping the case on a strict timeline.