Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has granted additional time to 20 MPs of the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) to respond to disqualification petitions filed against them under the anti-defection law.
The MPs have now been given time until September 22 to submit their replies to notices issued by the Speaker. The extension came after the MPs sought more time to respond to the notices, which were issued on August 26 and had originally given them seven days to submit their responses.
Sources in Parliament told PTI that Birla approved the request for additional time on Thursday.
Abhishek Banerjee’s Plea Triggered Disqualification Proceedings
The notices were issued after Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Abhishek Banerjee approached the Lok Sabha Speaker seeking action against the 20 MPs.
The MPs had left the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC in June following the party’s setback in the West Bengal Assembly elections and subsequently joined the relatively lesser-known NCPI.
The dispute over their status has also reached the Supreme Court. On August 25, the apex court agreed to hear Banerjee’s plea seeking an early decision from the Speaker on the disqualification petitions.
A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, issued notice to the 20 MPs and asked that the proceedings before the Speaker be handled expeditiously.
Banerjee had first filed separate petitions before the Speaker in June, seeking the disqualification of the MPs who had left the TMC and joined the NCPI.
The additional time is expected to allow the rebel MPs to consult legal experts and prepare their responses on whether the anti-defection provisions apply to their case.
The political dispute has further intensified following the TMC’s defeat in the West Bengal Assembly elections. The 20 MPs have subsequently declared their support for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
The wider political crisis has also played out in the West Bengal Assembly, where 65 of the TMC’s 80 MLAs reportedly backed Ritabrata Banerjee for the post of Leader of Opposition instead of the candidate supported by the Mamata Banerjee faction.
The Speaker’s decision to extend the deadline now puts the next significant step in the disqualification proceedings on September 22, when the 20 MPs are expected to submit their replies.
