Abhishek Banerjee seeks SC direction on disqualification of 20 TMC MPs. Photo credit: PTI NEW DELHI: Trinamool Congress (TMC) general secretary and Lok Sabha MP Abhishek Banerjee has moved Supreme Court seeking an early decision by Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla on disqualification pleas against 20 rebel party MPs. The matter is scheduled to come up for hearing before the apex court on Tuesday.Banerjee has challenged the alleged delay in deciding the disqualification petitions, which were filed against MPs accused by the TMC of abandoning the party and aligning themselves with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI).According to Supreme Court website, a bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana will hear Banerjee’s plea on August 25.Banerjee has urged the apex court to direct speaker Om Birla to expeditiously decide the pending disqualification proceedings.The TMC has maintained that the 20 MPs were elected on the party’s symbol and that their subsequent alignment with another political formation amounts to voluntarily giving up membership of the party. The party has argued that such conduct attracts disqualification under the anti-defection provisions of the Constitution.The rebel MPs, however, have maintained that their move constitutes a valid merger.The petition names the Lok Sabha speaker and the house secretary general as respondents, besides the 20 MPs against whom the disqualification proceedings have been sought.The MPs named in the petition are Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Sudip Bandyopadhyay, Satabdi Roy, Prasun Banerjee, Rachana Banerjee, Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia, Partha Bhowmick, Arup Chakraborty, Adhikari Deepak Dev, Sayani Ghosh, Bapi Haldar, Md Abu Taher Khan, Kalipada Saren Kherwal, Asit Kumar Mal, June Maliah, Mitali Bag, Khalilur Rahaman, Mala Roy, Sharmila Sarkar and Yusuf Pathan.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesThe TMC has alleged that the rebel MPs have subsequently been treated as an NCPI group in Parliament and have participated in National Democratic Alliance (NDA) parliamentary activities.The case comes against the backdrop of a broader political realignment in West Bengal following the TMC’s defeat in the 2026 Assembly elections.Supreme Court is also hearing a separate petition by Shiv Sena (UBT) challenging the Speaker’s approval of the merger of six of its MPs with the Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. That matter is being heard by a bench of Justices P S Narasimha and Alok Aradhe.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.About the AuthorSubhadra SrivastavaSubhadra Srivastava is a journalist with The Times of India, covering geopolitics, international and national affairs. With over three years of experience, she focuses on national and global developments, conflict, diplomacy and their impact on India. 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NEW DELHI: Trinamool Congress (TMC) general secretary and Lok Sabha MP Abhishek Banerjee has moved Supreme Court seeking an early decision by Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla on disqualification pleas against 20 rebel party MPs. The matter is scheduled to come up for hearing before the apex court on Tuesday.Banerjee has challenged the alleged delay in deciding the disqualification petitions, which were filed against MPs accused by the TMC of abandoning the party and aligning themselves with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI).According to Supreme Court website, a bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana will hear Banerjee’s plea on August 25.Banerjee has urged the apex court to direct speaker Om Birla to expeditiously decide the pending disqualification proceedings.The TMC has maintained that the 20 MPs were elected on the party’s symbol and that their subsequent alignment with another political formation amounts to voluntarily giving up membership of the party. The party has argued that such conduct attracts disqualification under the anti-defection provisions of the Constitution.The rebel MPs, however, have maintained that their move constitutes a valid merger.The petition names the Lok Sabha speaker and the house secretary general as respondents, besides the 20 MPs against whom the disqualification proceedings have been sought.The MPs named in the petition are Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Sudip Bandyopadhyay, Satabdi Roy, Prasun Banerjee, Rachana Banerjee, Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia, Partha Bhowmick, Arup Chakraborty, Adhikari Deepak Dev, Sayani Ghosh, Bapi Haldar, Md Abu Taher Khan, Kalipada Saren Kherwal, Asit Kumar Mal, June Maliah, Mitali Bag, Khalilur Rahaman, Mala Roy, Sharmila Sarkar and Yusuf Pathan.
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The TMC has alleged that the rebel MPs have subsequently been treated as an NCPI group in Parliament and have participated in National Democratic Alliance (NDA) parliamentary activities.The case comes against the backdrop of a broader political realignment in West Bengal following the TMC’s defeat in the 2026 Assembly elections.Supreme Court is also hearing a separate petition by Shiv Sena (UBT) challenging the Speaker’s approval of the merger of six of its MPs with the Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. That matter is being heard by a bench of Justices P S Narasimha and Alok Aradhe.
