Supreme Court Rejects Mahua Moitra Virtual Appearance Plea

The Supreme Court on Friday, August 7, 2026, dismissed a plea by Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra seeking permission to appear virtually before police for questioning in a criminal investigation. The court upheld a Calcutta High Court order directing her to appear in person, rejecting her argument that she faced threats of being pelted with eggs.

A bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Sheel Nagu declined to interfere with the lower court's directive, stating it was not inclined to entertain the matter. During the hearing, the justices delivered pointed remarks, questioning why an elected official would seek to avoid a physical appearance. Justice Datta observed that once a person enters politics, they cannot be afraid of facing such situations, adding that freedom fighters had faced bullets and that politicians today should not avoid an investigating agency due to fears of eggs being thrown.

Moitra's senior advocate, Gopal Sankarnarayanan, argued that she had a legal right to appear virtually and detailed past incidents to support her security concerns. He stated that during previous visits to the police station in her Krishnanagar constituency, there were threats of eggs...