A court in Kolkata has issued a directive to Trinamool Congress (AITC) Member of Parliament Mahua Moitra, ordering her to remove two specific posts from her social media account on X. The posts, published on October 3 and October 6, 2026, contained allegations against West Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Agarwal, whom the MP labelled a “vote chor.”
The Alipore court’s order, issued on Thursday, mandates that Moitra must delete the controversial posts within 24 hours of receiving the official directive. In addition to the removal of the content, the court has placed a legal restraint on Moitra, as well as any individuals acting on her behalf, prohibiting them from publishing, reposting, sharing, or repeating the statements identified as defamatory across any platform.
The legal proceedings were initiated after Manoj Kumar Agarwal approached the court regarding the social media activity. The posts in question specifically targeted Agarwal, who currently serves as the West Bengal Chief Secretary. Before his current appointment, which followed the formation of the Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state in May 2026, Agarwal had served as the Chief Electoral Officer for West Bengal. During his tenure as the electoral officer, he oversaw the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls ahead of the 2026 assembly elections.
In her October 3 post, Moitra had referenced the electoral roll revision process, alleging that illegalities had occurred and naming Agarwal alongside others. This was followed by a subsequent post on October 6, where she explicitly used the term “vote chor,” accusing Agarwal of being “singularly responsible” for the disenfranchisement of a large number of voters in the state. While Agarwal received recognition for overseeing an assembly election that was largely characterized as violence-free, he has also faced criticism regarding the scale of voter disenfranchisement that took place during the revision exercise conducted under his supervision.
The court's injunction specifically covers any allegations suggesting that Agarwal had “committed every illegality” or that he had acted under the direction of others. The restriction aims to prevent further public commentary on these specific points while the legal dispute remains active. The court has maintained a strict stance on the potential for ongoing defamation, reinforcing the need for the removal of the original statements to mitigate further impact on the Chief Secretary’s reputation.
Responding to the court’s decision shortly after it was announced, Mahua Moitra addressed the matter on her X account. She stated her intention to contest the ruling, noting, “I will be filing a vacating application to reinforce my right to call a Vote Chor a Vote Chor.”
This development marks a significant legal escalation between the opposition MP and the state’s senior-most bureaucrat. As of the court order, the clock is ticking for the compliance of the content removal. Future proceedings are expected to hinge on the outcome of the vacating application that Moitra plans to submit, which will determine whether the court’s restraint remains in place or if she will be permitted to continue her public criticism of the Chief Secretary’s official conduct during his previous role as the state’s Chief Electoral Officer.
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