Now Reading: Lok Sabha Speaker notices 20 rebel TMC MPs on disqualification
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Lok Sabha Speaker notices 20 rebel TMC MPs on disqualification
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has issued notices to 20 rebel Trinamool Congress MPs, asking them to reply within seven days to disqualification petitions filed by TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee under the anti-defection law. The notices were dated August 25, the same day the Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant heard Banerjee's plea seeking an expeditious decision on the petitions. During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court the Speaker had already issued the notices.
The rebel MPs, who joined the Nationalist Citizens Party of India and now sit as an NCPI group in the House, argue their move constitutes a valid merger. The TMC maintains they voluntarily gave up party membership by switching allegiance, attracting disqualification under the Tenth Schedule. The court observed that the issue was not about issuing notices but concluding proceedings within a timeframe. Banerjee's plea names the Speaker and the Lok Sabha Secretary General as respondents.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The Speaker issued notices only after the Supreme Court signalled it would hear the matter. The TMC's Mahua Moitra alleged the August 25 notice date, the same as the court hearing, was a cover-up, a point The Hindu reported but Times of India omitted entirely. The core dispute, whether the rebels' move is a valid merger or defection, remains unresolved, and the Speaker has not set a deadline to conclude the proceedings. The Supreme Court is expected to set a timeline when it next hears the plea.
Coverage: 3 sources, 3 neutral
Sources (3): timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report), thehindu.com (neutral report), indiatvnews.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
Updated: this story now draws on 3 sources.
