Kolkata23 minutes agoAuthor: Tirthankar Das
The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued notices to 20 rebel Trinamool Congress MPs in connection with pleas filed by TMC General Secretary and Lok Sabha leader Abhishek Banerjee seeking their disqualification.
Banerjee challenges delay in disqualification
The petition, filed under Article 32 of the Constitution, challenges the delay in deciding the disqualification proceedings pending before Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. The matter was heard by a bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, along with Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana.
TMC invokes anti-defection law provisions
The dispute follows a rebellion within the TMC parliamentary party, with 20 MPs allegedly breaking away from the party and seeking alignment with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI). The rebel MPs have also sought recognition as a separate group in the Lok Sabha.
TMC has argued that the MPs were elected on the party’s symbol and that joining another political formation attracts the anti-defection law. Banerjee had earlier submitted separate disqualification petitions before the Lok Sabha Speaker and repeatedly sought their expeditious disposal.
Rebel MPs seek separate group recognition
The Supreme Court’s proceedings also noted that the issue was not merely about issuing notices but about ensuring that the disqualification proceedings are concluded within a fixed timeframe.
Court stresses fixed timeline for proceedings
“It is not a question of issuing notices; it is a question of concluding the proceedings within a time frame,” the court observed. The Speaker had earlier allotted separate seating arrangements to the 20 rebel TMC MPs during the Monsoon Session.
Petition names Speaker and rebel MPs
The petition names the Lok Sabha Speaker and Secretary General as respondents, along with the 20 MPs facing the disqualification proceedings.
The 20 rebel MPs named in Secretary-GeneralKakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Sudip Bandyopadhyay, Satabdi Roy, Prasun Banerjee, Rachana Banerjee, Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia, Partha Bhowmick, Arup Chakraborty, Adhikari Deepak Dev, Sayani Ghosh, Bapi Haldar, Md Abu Taher Khan, Kalipada Saren Kherwal, Asit Kumar Mal, June Maliah, Mitali Bag, Khalilur Rahaman, Mala Roy, Sharmila Sarkar and Pathan Yusuf.
