Supreme Court Stays High Court Order in Mahua Moitra Case

The Supreme Court of India stayed a Delhi High Court order on March 13, 2026, that had quashed the Lokpal's sanction for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to file a chargesheet against Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra. The legal dispute centers on the "cash-for-query" allegations, in which Moitra is accused of accepting cash and gifts from businessman Darshan Hiranandani to ask questions in the Lok Sabha and sharing her parliamentary login credentials.

The conflict arose after the Lokpal granted sanction to the CBI in November 2025, which the Delhi High Court later set aside in December 2025. The High Court ruled that the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013, does not allow for separate sanctions for filing a chargesheet and initiating prosecution. However, a Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant found this interpretation prima facie incorrect and stayed the High Court's directive requiring the Lokpal to reconsider the sanction within a specific timeframe.

While the Supreme Court issued notices to Moitra, the CBI, and complainant Nishikant Dubey to examine the interplay of Section 20 of the Act, it clarified that the Lokpal cannot currently direct the CBI to file a chargesheet. The court further specified that no coercive action will be taken against Moitra for the time being as it reviews whether separate sanctions are legally required.