Case Against Mahua Moitra Under New Criminal Law Over Comment On X

New Delhi: 

A case related to outraging the modesty of a woman has been registered against Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra for a social media post on National Commission for Women chief Rekha Sharma.

Based on a complaint by Ms Sharma, the First Information Report was registered by the special cell of the Delhi Police on Sunday under Section 79 (word, gesture or act intended to insult modesty of woman) of the new criminal code, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which has replaced the Indian Penal Code. 

Ms Sharma has also written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and requested him to take “appropriate action” against Ms Moitra.  

The MP from West Bengal’s Krishnanagar, who was disqualified from the Lok Sabha last year after the ‘cash-for-query’ row and was re-elected this year, had made a remark on Thursday in reaction to videos of the women’s commission chief meeting women injured in the Hathras stampede in which 121 people were killed. 

The videos showed someone holding up an umbrella for Ms Sharma and Ms Moitra had made a “pajamas” reference in a post on X, which had sparked a controversy. She later deleted the post and the police have sought details about it from the social media giant.