The Calcutta High Court on Monday quashed a chargesheet against Union Minister Babul Supriyo by the Kolkata Police for

The court observed that Moitra had lodged an FIR against Supriyo at Alipore police station here on January 4, 2017 alleging that the BJP MP and Union Minister of State had made derogatory comments against her during the television debate held on the previous day.

The Calcutta High Court on Monday quashed a chargesheet against Union Minister Babul Supriyo by the Kolkata Police for allegedly intending to outrage modesty of Mahua Moitra, then an MLA of Trinamool Congress, by uttering some words during a televised debate in 2017, while granting her liberty to take legal action against him for alleged defamation. Passing the order, the court, however, observed that "It is undisputed that in course of a political debate, the petitioner asked the opposite party (Moitra) as to whether she was intoxicated," the court said.

It granted Moitra liberty to take any action, according to law, against Supriyo before the appropriate forum. Passing the order, Petitioner Supriyo, who had prayed before the high court that the chargesheet against him be quashed, was not only an elected member of the Parliament, but also a minister of state of the central government, Justice Chaudhuri noted.

The court noted that Moitra was not only a public figure as an MLA and national spokesperson of a rival political party at the relevant point of time, but is a woman. The court observed that Moitra had lodged an FIR against Supriyo at Alipore police station here on January 4, 2017 alleging that the BJP MP and Union Minister of State had made derogatory comments against her during the television debate held on the previous day.

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