Supreme Court Issues Notices To 20 Rebel TMC MPs Over Disqualification Plea

The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued notices to 20 rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs in a petition filed by party general secretary and Lok Sabha leader Abhishek Banerjee seeking an early decision on their disqualification. The court, however, did not issue notice to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said he would appear for the Speaker.

What Is The Case Before Supreme Court?

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana heard Banerjee’s petition challenging the delay in deciding the disqualification pleas pending before the Lok Sabha Speaker.

The petition names 20 rebel MPs as respondents, along with the Lok Sabha Secretary General and Birla.

During the hearing, the bench indicated that it was inclined to issue notice to the Speaker as well. Mehta intervened, saying he had instructions to appear on Birla’s behalf and that the Speaker had already issued notices on the disqualification petitions.

Justice Bagchi said the court was not seeking to pass an order against a constitutional authority but wanted to ensure that the proceedings were completed within a reasonable timeframe.

“The question is not about issuing notices,” Justice Bagchi said, stressing that the focus was on “concluding the proceedings within a time frame”.

Who Are The 20 Rebel MPs?

The MPs named in Banerjee’s petition include Sayani Ghosh, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Sudip Bandyopadhyay, Satabdi Roy, Prasun Banerjee, Arup Chakraborty, Deepak Dev Adhikari and Yusuf Pathan, among others.

The rebel MPs won the Assembly elections earlier this year on TMC tickets but allegedly defected to the relatively unknown Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) after the results were announced in May.

The rebel group has sought recognition as a separate group in the Lok Sabha and was allotted separate seats during the recent Monsoon Session.

TMC Seeks Disqualification Under Anti-Defection Law

TMC has sought the disqualification of the 20 MPs under the anti-defection provisions of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution.

Banerjee had earlier submitted separate disqualification petitions before Speaker Om Birla, seeking an expedited decision.

Speaking to reporters, TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee said that his party had initiated action against Parliament members first and that they will be focusing on the MLA’s next.

“We have initiated action regarding the Parliament members first; next, we will address the MLAs. We shall see how much strength they can muster," he said.

The Supreme Court’s intervention comes as the TMC challenges the delay in deciding those petitions. The court will now hear the matter after the rebel MPs respond to the notices.