Kolkata court orders Mahua Moitra to delete 'vote chor' posts against Bengal chief secretary

A civil court in Kolkata has ordered Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra to delete two social media posts targeting West Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Agarwal within 24 hours of receiving the order.

The Alipore court also issued an ad-interim injunction restraining Moitra, her representatives, and anyone acting on her behalf from publishing, reposting, or repeating allegations calling the senior civil servant a "vote chor" across any public platform.

What the court ordered

The Civil Judge (Senior Division), First Court, Alipore, issued the ex parte direction following a defamation plea brought by Agarwal. The dispute centres on two posts published from Moitra's X account on 3 October and 6 October.

In those messages, Moitra accused Agarwal of committing "every illegality under the planet" and acting at the behest of others to disenfranchise voters during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Agarwal served as West Bengal’s chief electoral officer when the revision was carried out ahead of the state assembly elections, an exercise that helped deliver an orderly, largely violence-free poll before his appointment as chief secretary.

Under the judicial order, Moitra must remove both posts within 24 hours of service. If she fails to take them down in time, the court ruled that Agarwal is entitled to notify X Corp and its grievance officer to secure their removal under Rule 3(1)(d) of the Information Technology Intermediary Guidelines and Section 79 of the Information Technology Act.

Limits on public statements

The court barred Moitra from repeating allegations that Agarwal had committed illegalities, was "singularly responsible" for disenfranchising voters, or had acted on instructions from a political master.

At the same time, the bench clarified that the injunction does not block fair criticism of the SIR exercise itself or lawful scrutiny of official administrative actions.

The judge noted that the findings remain prima facie for the purpose of interim relief and do not prejudge the merits of the suit. Agarwal was directed to serve all petition documents under Order XXXIX Rule 3 of the Code of Civil Procedure within 24 hours. The court listed the case for its next hearing on 5 January 2027 to consider compliance and hear formal objections.

Response and next steps

Moitra responded publicly on X following the decision, writing that she intends to contest the restraint in court. She stated that she would file an application to vacate the injunction to defend her right to make the claims.

Moitra retains the legal right to apply under Order XXXIX Rule 4 of the Code of Civil Procedure to vary, discharge, or set aside the order, as the judicial process moves toward a full hearing on the matter.