SC Issues Notice to 20 Rebel TMC MPs on Abhishek Banerjee’s Plea for Early Disqualification Decision

August 25, 2026

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued notices to 20 rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs on a plea filed by party general secretary and Lok Sabha leader Abhishek Banerjee, seeking an expeditious decision on their disqualification petitions under the anti-defection law.

The plea challenges the alleged delay in deciding petitions filed against the 20 MPs, who have broken away from the TMC and aligned themselves with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI). The TMC has argued that their move attracts the anti-defection provisions under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution.

The matter was heard by a bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana.

SC Issues Notice to 20 Rebel MPs

During the hearing, the Supreme Court issued notices to the 20 MPs and sought their responses.

However, the court did not issue notice to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla or the Secretary-General at this stage. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Speaker, said he would seek instructions and inform the court about the Speaker’s position.

The Solicitor General also informed the court that the Speaker had already issued notices to the 20 rebel MPs on the disqualification petitions filed by the TMC.

Justice Joymalya Bagchi observed that the issue was not merely about issuing notices but about concluding the proceedings within a reasonable timeframe.

TMC Seeks Early Decision on Disqualification

Abhishek Banerjee had approached the Supreme Court under Article 32, challenging the delay in deciding the disqualification proceedings.

The TMC had earlier submitted separate petitions before Speaker Om Birla seeking the disqualification of the 20 MPs. The party maintains that the lawmakers were elected on TMC tickets and that their subsequent decision to join another political formation attracts the anti-defection law.

The rebel MPs, however, have maintained that their move constitutes a valid merger with the new political formation.

20 MPs Under Anti-Defection Proceedings

The 20 MPs named in the proceedings include 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 Pathan Yusuf.

The Supreme Court is now expected to consider the responses of the concerned MPs and further submissions from the parties before deciding the next course of action.