Supreme Court directs West Bengal to grant Mahua Moitra circuit house access on one day's notice

The Supreme Court has directed the West Bengal government to provide MP Mahua Moitra accommodation at the Krishnanagar circuit house on a day's notice. A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi issued the order on Friday, stating that the MP should receive rooms under standard procedures instead of the three to four days' notice required by recent district rules.

Background

Ms Moitra moved the top court through an Article 32 petition to seek guidelines ensuring police cooperation during constituency visits and development work. Her plea detailed multiple incidents that allegedly blocked her work, including an August 14 event where she was asked to leave the Nadia Circuit House while a hostile crowd gathered outside. Following that night, the Nadia district administration issued a September 1 order demanding several days of advance notice for guest house bookings.

Arguments

Appearing for the State, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta defended the September 1 rule as a uniform policy for all officials and legislators, noting that rooms depend strictly on availability. The bench rejected this argument, calling the local rule retaliatory and asserting that an elected representative holds a preferential right to official stay facilities. Meanwhile, senior counsel representing Ms Moitra told the court that local authorities stopped cooperating on MPLADS projects after May 2026, leaving 18 works stalled. The bench declined to review the stalled projects directly, advising her to approach the High Court if local authorities fail to respond.

Context

Circuit houses are government-owned transit properties meant to host public officials and elected representatives while they travel on official duties. Legal petitions under Article 32 of the Constitution allow citizens and lawmakers to directly approach the Supreme Court specifically for enforcing fundamental rights.