Disqualification of 10 West Bengal MLAs, including Ritabrata Banerjee, is now before the Assembly Speaker after the Supreme Court set an October 8 deadline.
Qalam Times News Network
New Delhi/Kolkata, September 28, 2026
Disqualification proceedings involving 10 West Bengal MLAs, including Ritabrata Banerjee, have returned to the spotlight after the Supreme Court directed the state Assembly Speaker to decide the petitions by October 8. The petition had been filed by senior Trinamool Congress MLA Shobhandeb Chattopadhyay, who had sought an early decision on his plea alleging that the legislators were liable for action under the anti-defection law.
The Supreme Court did not itself decide whether the MLAs should lose their seats. Instead, it directed the Speaker to deal with the matter within the specified period. The dispute is part of the wider political and legislative confrontation within the Trinamool Congress following the emergence of a rival group of legislators.
Disqualification: Supreme Court leaves decision on MLAs’ fate with Speaker
Chattopadhyay had approached the Supreme Court seeking intervention over the delay in deciding his disqualification petitions. The petitions were originally submitted before the West Bengal Assembly Speaker, with the proceedings centred on whether the 10 legislators had attracted the provisions of the anti-defection law.
During Monday’s hearing, the bench made it clear that the Speaker should take a decision within a reasonable period and indicated October 8 as the deadline for disposing of the matter. Justice Jaimala Bagchi reportedly cautioned that courts themselves can sometimes struggle to meet deadlines and that any judicially prescribed timeline should therefore remain reasonable.
The order effectively places the immediate responsibility for deciding the disqualification petitions with the Assembly Speaker rather than the Supreme Court.
The case has its roots in the political developments that followed the 2026 West Bengal Assembly election. Ritabrata Banerjee and other legislators subsequently emerged as a separate group within the Assembly, challenging the position of the Trinamool Congress leadership. Ritabrata was later recognised by the Assembly Speaker as Leader of the Opposition, a decision that itself became the subject of separate litigation before the Calcutta High Court.
Chattopadhyay’s disqualification petition reportedly names Ritabrata Banerjee and nine other MLAs. The petitioners’ contention is that the legislators’ actions warrant proceedings under the anti-defection provisions.
The dispute over the 10 MLAs is separate from the legal challenge concerning the Leader of the Opposition post, although both cases arise from the same broader dispute over rival groups within the Assembly. The Calcutta High Court has also examined the circumstances surrounding Ritabrata Banerjee’s recognition as Leader of the Opposition.
Senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Kalyan Banerjee appeared in the matter for the petitioner. Kalyan Banerjee later said that the Supreme Court had disposed of the petition while directing the Speaker to decide the disqualification issue within the stipulated period.
The October 8 deadline now puts the focus squarely on the Assembly Speaker. The eventual decision could have implications for the status of the 10 legislators and for the continuing dispute over rival groups within the West Bengal Assembly.
For now, however, no disqualification has been ordered by the Supreme Court. The question of whether any of the 10 MLAs should lose their seats remains to be decided by the Speaker in accordance with the applicable constitutional and legislative provisions.
