Now Reading: Calcutta High Court refuses to order Speaker to let TMC MLA speak
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Calcutta High Court refuses to order Speaker to let TMC MLA speak
The Calcutta High Court has dismissed TMC MLA Kunal Ghosh's plea to compel the West Bengal Assembly Speaker to let him speak during debates. Justice Krishna Rao said courts cannot direct the…
The Story in Brief
The Calcutta High Court has dismissed TMC MLA Kunal Ghosh's plea to compel the West Bengal Assembly Speaker to let him speak during debates. Justice Krishna Rao said courts cannot direct the Speaker or Chief Whip on speaking time, citing Article 212 of the Constitution which bars judicial review of legislative proceedings for procedural irregularity.
Ghosh, MLA from Beleghata, claimed he was denied a chance to speak on key Bills including the Bengal Public Safety Bill, 2026, the Finance Bill and the Municipal Affairs budget. The Speaker's counsel argued Ghosh had spoken twice, on the Governor's address and the Budget, and that the dispute was internal to the party. The court advised Ghosh to raise his grievance within the Assembly.
The Indian Opinion
The 'victim-of-own-party' narrative favoured by some faces a basic test. If a Speaker shuts out a ruling-party MLA while allowing others, is that a legislative wrong or a party dispute? Article 212 is clear: courts do not police House procedure. The real question is whether Ghosh's faction inside the TMC is being squeezed, and that is a political, not a legal, fight. Watch whether the Speaker refers his grievance to the party machinery or to the Privileges Committee. That will show where the power actually lies.
Source: livelaw.in
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
