THE CBI today searched Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra’s home in Kolkata in the cash-for-query case. This comes a day after the CBI registered a FIR against Mahua Moitra.

Teams of the central probe agency reached Mahua Moitra’s residence in Kolkata and other cities early on Saturday, informed about the search proceedings and started the operation.

The Lokpal, an anti-corruption body, had earlier this week asked the CBI to probe the allegations against Ms Moitra and submit a report within six months.

Additionally, the CBI was required to submit monthly periodic reports outlining the investigation’s progress. “After careful evaluation and consideration of the entire material on record, there remains no doubt regarding the fact that the allegations leveled against the Respondent Public Servant (RPS), most of which are supported by cogent evidence, are extremely serious in nature, especially in view of the position held by her,” Lokpal stated in his decision.

Mahua Moitra was expelled from the Lok Sabha in December. She was accused of accepting bribes from businessman Darshan Hiranandani in exchange for raising critical questions of the Narendra Modi government in Parliament, an ethics panel recommended that she be removed.

She was also charged with giving up private login information for the parliamentary website so that Hiranandani could ask questions there.

While admitting to sharing the log-in information, Moitra refuted the allegations of bribery. She maintained that MPs routinely share these kinds of details. She has already challenged her expulsion in the Supreme Court.