Trouble for Mahua Moitra? Bengal court issues arrest warrant in hate speech case

Mahua Moitra's repeated absence from court has now triggered an arrest warrant, but her lawyer cites fears of heckling as the case over alleged religiously provocative remarks moves ahead.The case against Moitra alleges that she insulted women and made hate speech. (Photo: PTI)Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra is facing an arrest warrant in West Bengal after a Krishnanagar court ordered her arrest on Wednesday for repeatedly failing to appear in an alleged hate speech case, despite multiple summonses.The 3rd judicial magistrate at the Krishnanagar court directed that the warrant be issued immediately and ordered that an execution report be submitted on August 28.The court had asked Moitra on Tuesday to appear on Wednesday, but she did not turn up. Her lawyer told the court that the MP would not appear at any point, citing fears that she could be heckled outside the court premises.The court, however, took a strong view of her repeated absence and said her conduct showed a "lackadaisical approach" towards complying with its orders. "The series of disobedience of the order of this court .... goes to show the lackadaisical approach of the accused to comply with the court order and accordingly this court is left with no other option but to issue a warrant of arrest against her," the judge said in the order.The judge also recorded that Moitra's lawyer had said she would not appear before the court and observed that she had "No respect for the court of law".WHAT IS THE CASE AGAINST MAHUA MOITRA? The complaint against Moitra relates to a video message she released after an incident in which women gathered outside the court carrying eggs when they heard that the Krishnanagar Trinamool Congress MP was expected to appear.In the video, Moitra advised the women to wear veils and organise various programmes. The video later circulated on social media.The complainant alleged that Moitra's remarks hurt religious sentiments and amounted to religiously provocative comments that insulted both religions.The case was filed in the Krishnanagar court on June 17, 2026.According to a senior official of the Krishnanagar police district, the complaint was registered under sections 79, 196, 299, 351 and 353(2).These provisions relate to allegedly insulting the modesty of a woman, promoting enmity between groups, outraging religious feelings, criminal intimidation and hate speech.COURT HAD GIVEN MOITRA MULTIPLE CHANCESThe court had repeatedly directed Moitra to appear in connection with the complaint. She did not comply with the summonses, prompting the magistrate to issue the arrest warrant.She was given time until 5 pm on Wednesday to appear before the court. However, she did not turn up, following which the court proceeded with the warrant.The court has now sought an execution report on the arrest warrant by August 28, putting the case on a fresh footing as the proceedings against the Trinamool MP continue.LAWYER CITES FEAR OF HECKLINGMoitra's lawyer told the court that the MP was apprehensive about appearing because of the possibility of being heckled outside the court premises.The court nevertheless rejected the repeated absence as a reason to defer the proceedings further, pointing to the number of summonses already issued to the MP.With the arrest warrant now in place, the next key development in the case will be the execution report that the Krishnanagar court has asked the police to submit on August 28.- EndsWith PTI inputsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Aug 19, 2026 17:20 IST