Last Updated:
Banerjee, in his plea, challenged the alleged delay in deciding the disqualification proceedings initiated against the MPs.
Trinamool Congress General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee (File Image: PTI)
TMC General Secretary and Lok Sabha MP Abhishek Banerjee has moved the Supreme Court seeking directions for an early decision by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on disqualification petitions against 20 party MPs who have switched allegiance to the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI).
The plea is scheduled to come up for hearing on August 25 before a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, according to details available on the Supreme Court’s website.
Banerjee, in his plea, challenged the alleged delay in deciding the disqualification proceedings initiated against the MPs. The TMC leader has sought directions for the speaker to decide the disqualification petitions in accordance with the anti-defection provisions of the Constitution. He had earlier submitted separate petitions against the 20 MPs and subsequently urged the speaker to expedite their disposal, PTI reported.
According to reports, he also met Birla on August 12 over the issue after sending a written reminder on July 27.
The dispute follows a rebellion within the TMC parliamentary party after 20 of its Lok Sabha MPs announced that they had joined or merged with the NCPI, a Tripura-based political outfit, and sought separate recognition in the House.
The rebel MPs have subsequently been treated as an NCPI group in Parliament and have participated in NDA parliamentary activities.
The TMC has maintained that the MPs were elected on its symbol and that their decision to align with another political formation amounts to voluntarily giving up membership of the party, attracting disqualification under the anti-defection law.
The rebel camp, however, has maintained that its move constitutes a valid merger. The petition names the Lok Sabha speaker and the secretary general as respondents, besides the 20 MPs against whom the disqualification proceedings have been sought.
The MPs named in the petition are Kakoli 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 Yusuf Pathan.
(With PTI inputs)
About the Author
The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, …Read More
August 24, 2026, 11:08 PM IST
Read More
Source link
[ad_3]
