Supreme Court tells West Bengal speaker to decide on ten rebel Trinamool MLAs by October 8

Court Decision

The Supreme Court has left the case regarding the disqualification of ten rebel Trinamool MLAs to the West Bengal assembly speaker. The highest court directed the speaker to take a decision on the matter by October 8.

Background

Shovandeb Chattopadhyay had approached the speaker on July 8 demanding the cancellation of MLA posts for leaders including Rittabrata Banerjee. Chattopadhyay then filed a special leave petition in the Supreme Court under the anti-defection law against the ten MLAs who shifted from Mamata's All India Trinamool Congress to the Democratic Trinamool Congress. He also submitted a written request to the assembly speaker, after which the assembly secretariat sent notices to all ten lawmakers giving them ten days to reply.

Rebel Group

The targeted MLAs include Rittabrata Banerjee, Akhruzzaman, Arup Roy, Sandipan Saha, Firhad Hakim, Biplab Mitra, Sabina Yasmin, Javed Khan, Shiuli Saha, and Rathin Ghosh. In the 2026 assembly elections, Trinamool won 80 seats before expelling Rittabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha, reducing its strength to 78. Several MLAs then spoke out against Abhishek Banerjee and formed a separate faction led by Rittabrata Banerjee. The Election Commission has named this group the Democratic Trinamool Congress with the envelope as their party symbol for upcoming by-elections.

Context

Anti-defection laws in India govern the disqualification of elected representatives who switch political parties. Assembly speakers usually hold the authority to decide on disqualification petitions within a specific legal framework. Judicial oversight often helps ensure that these petitions are addressed within a defined time frame.