File picture of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla receiving a letter from TMC rebel MPs, including Sudip Bandyopadhyay, Satabdi Roy, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Mala Roy, Yusuf Pathan, and others, for a separate seating arrangement in the House, in New Delhi. Photo: Special arrangement
On the same day that the Supreme Court agreed to hear Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee’s plea seeking an expeditious decision on disqualification petitions, and more than a month after he wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla urging him to disqualify 20 MPs who switched from the TMC to the Nationalist Congress Party of India, the Lok Sabha Secretariat issued notices to the legislators, asking them to submit their replies within seven days.
Mr. Banerjee had filed disqualification petitions against the MPs on June 19 under Rule 6 of the Members of Lok Sabha (Disqualification on Ground of Defection) Rules, 1985.
‘Cover up caught’
Reacting to the development, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra alleged on X that there had been a cover-up regarding the timing of the notices issued by the LS Secretariat. She pointed out that the party had filed 20 disqualification petitions on June 19 and then shared an image of the notice issued to the rebel MPs.
“Speaker LS did nothing except give them better seats at our expense. [Solicitor General] SG Tushar Mehta in Court said the Speaker had issued notices. Notice dated Aug. 25th – exact date of hearing!” she wrote on X.
The development comes a day after a Supreme Court Bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana agreed to hear Mr. Banerjee’s plea seeking an expeditious decision on the disqualification petitions.
Supreme Court emphasises ‘time frame’
While issuing notice to the 20 rebel MPs, the Supreme Court declined to issue any notice to the offices of the Lok Sabha Speaker and the Secretary-General of the House after Mr. Mehta informed the court that he was representing them.
During the hearing, the court observed: “It is not a question of issuing notices; it is a question of concluding the proceedings within a time frame.”
Mr. Banerjee had earlier submitted separate disqualification petitions against the 20 MPs and subsequently sought their expeditious disposal. He also met the Lok Sabha Speaker on August 12 about the issue, after sending a written reminder on July 27.
Published – August 26, 2026 10:38 am IST
