The Delhi High Court on Friday granted further time – of two months – to Lokpal to decide whether it wants to grant the sanction to CBI to file a chargesheet against TMC MP Mahua Moitra in relation to the cash-for-query matter.
A division bench of Justices Anil Kshetarpal and Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar granted the extension following a request from the Lokpal and no objection to the request from Moitra.
The HC, on December 19, 2025, had granted the Lokpal a month’s time to decide on the aspect after the court had set aside a November 2025 order of the anti-graft ombudsman against Moitra that granted sanction to the CBI to file a chargesheet.
The same division bench, in its December 2025 order, had recorded that the Lokpal followed “extraneous and impermissible procedures”, exceeding its jurisdiction while granting such sanction to the CBI.
Section 20 (7) of the Lokpal Act deals with the granting of sanction to its prosecution wing or probe agency to file a chargesheet; directing closure of report before a special court against a public servant; or directing the competent authority to initiate departmental proceedings or other action against a public servant only after Lokpal considers “every report received by it… from any agency (including the Delhi Special Police Establishment), and after obtaining the comments of the competent authority”. At the said stage, the Lokpal is not vested with the powers of adjudicating the guilt or innocence of the public servant, the HC had reminded the Lokpal.
It had also said that the reasoning the Lokpal gave while granting sanction amounted to a form of “re-engineering” of the Lokpal Act.
While setting aside the Lokpal’s order, the Delhi HC had directed it to reconsider the decision in a month’s time.
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In 2023, Moitra was accused of sharing her Parliament login credentials with businessman Darshan Hiranandani in exchange for cash and expensive gifts. She admitted sharing her login details with Hiranandani but denied taking any cash from him in exchange for raising questions in the Parliament.
Moitra had challenged the November 12, 2025, order of the Lokpal, primarily on the ground that it was passed without taking into consideration her submissions and filings before the anti-corruption ombudsman in violation of the prescribed procedure under Section 20 (7) of the Lokpal Act.
Sohini Ghosh is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express. Previously based in Ahmedabad covering Gujarat, she recently moved to the New Delhi bureau, where she primarily covers legal developments at the Delhi High Court
Professional Profile
Background: An alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), she previously worked with ET NOW before joining The Indian Express.
Core Beats: Her reporting is currently centered on the Delhi High Court, with a focus on high-profile constitutional disputes, disputes over intellectual property, criminal and civil cases, issues of human rights and regulatory law (especially in the areas of technology and healthcare).
Earlier Specialty: In Gujarat, she was known for her rigorous coverage in the beats of crime, law and policy, and social justice issues, including the 2002 riot cases, 2008 serial bomb blast case, 2016 flogging of Dalits in Una, among others.
She has extensively covered health in the state, including being part of the team that revealed the segregation of wards at the state’s largest government hospital on lines of faith in April 2020.
With Ahmedabad being a UNESCO heritage city, she has widely covered urban development and heritage issues, including the redevelopment of the Sabarmati Ashram
Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025)
Her recent reporting from the Delhi High Court covers major political, constitutional, corporate, and public-interest legal battles:
High-Profile Case Coverage
She has extensively covered the various legal battles - including for compensation under the aegis of North East Delhi Riots Claims Commission - pertaining to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, as well as 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
She has also led coverage at the intersection of technology and governance, and its impact on the citizenry, from, and beyond courtrooms — such as the government’s stakeholder consultations for framing AI-Deepfake policy.
Signature Style
Sohini is recognized for her sustained reporting from courtrooms and beyond. She specialises in breaking down dense legal arguments to make legalese accessible for readers. Her transition from Gujarat to Delhi has seen her expand her coverage on regulatory, corporate and intellectual property law, while maintaining a strong commitment to human rights and lacuna in the criminal justice system.
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