A three‑judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant heard a petition filed by TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee, who argued that the Speaker was deliberately delaying the anti‑defection proceedings against the rebel MPs.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Speaker, urged the court not to fix the Speaker’s schedule, insisting that Supreme Court monitoring of the process was unnecessary.
Justice Joymalya Bagchi asked Mehta to submit a timeline, and the bench subsequently inquired how soon the MPs would file their replies to the disqualification notices. Senior advocate Kalyan Banerjee, representing Abhishek Banerjee, said the MPs had already been given six weeks and were now seeking an additional four weeks; the court recorded their intention to reply within that period and posted the case for hearing after four weeks.
Justice Bagchi described the Speaker’s role as “amphibious,” noting that it straddles both parliamentary leadership and tribunal functions under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, which governs anti‑defection matters.
The dispute stems from a rebellion within the TMC parliamentary party after 20 Lok Sabha members announced a merger with the Tripura‑based NCPI, subsequently being treated as an NCPI group in Parliament and participating in NDA activities. The TMC maintains that the MPs, elected on its symbol, have voluntarily relinquished party membership and therefore merit disqualification, while the rebel camp contends that the merger is a legitimate political realignment.
With the Supreme Court declining to impose a deadline, the disqualification process remains in limbo, leaving the balance of power in the Lok Sabha and the interpretation of the anti‑defection law unsettled pending a future ruling.