Now Reading: TMC to move Supreme Court against 20 rebel Lok Sabha MPs
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TMC to move Supreme Court against 20 rebel Lok Sabha MPs
The Trinamool Congress is likely to approach the Supreme Court within 10 days seeking disqualification of 20 rebel Lok Sabha MPs who merged with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India, party sources…
The Story in Brief
The Trinamool Congress is likely to approach the Supreme Court within 10 days seeking disqualification of 20 rebel Lok Sabha MPs who merged with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India, party sources said on Thursday. TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee met Speaker Om Birla on Wednesday to demand a decision on disqualification petitions filed in June. Banerjee said if the speaker does not act within the legally prescribed period and judicial directions, he would be 'compelled to approach the Supreme Court'.
The 20 MPs, elected on TMC's symbol, rebelled after the party's defeat in West Bengal assembly polls and merged with the NCPI, claiming the two-thirds merger exception under the anti-defection law. TMC challenges the legality. The Supreme Court has directed speakers to decide such petitions within three months.
The Indian Opinion
The TMC's move exposes a familiar Indian problem: speakers sitting on disqualification pleas for months. Both sides have procedural points, the rebels cite the two-thirds merger clause; TMC calls that a loophole. The real test will be whether the court sets a binding timeline for Speaker Birla, or lets another anti-defection case drag indefinitely. How many months of parliamentary sessions must pass before a disqualification is either upheld or rejected? That number will tell us if the law works.
Sources (2): thefederal.com, timesofindia.indiatimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
