Bengal: Calcutta HC questions expelled TMC MLA’s appointment as leader of opposition by speaker
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The Calcutta High Court on Thursday questioned the West Bengal speaker’s decision to recognise expelled Trinamool Congress MLA Ritabrata Banerjee as the leader of the Opposition in the Assembly without the consent of the political party, The Hindu reported.
On June 3, Ritabrata Banerjee claimed that Assembly Speaker Rathindra Bose had accepted the claim of 58 of the party’s 80 MLAs to be the main Opposition in the state.
The stand taken by the 58 MLAs is being viewed as a challenge to party chief Mamata Banerjee, who is supporting Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as the Opposition leader in the House.
While hearing a petition filed by the Trinamool Congress challenging Bose’s decision, the bench observed that the person appointed as the Leader of the Opposition did not belong to any political party.
“He was expelled,” The Hindu quoted the bench as saying. “Can the speaker recognise a rebel leader as the leader of the Opposition without the consent of a political party?”
In response, the state, represented by Additional Advocate General Bilwadal Bhattacharya, sought time to file an affidavit along with all relevant records, including the order under challenge.
Advocate and TMC MP Kalyan Bandopadhyay, appearing for the petitioners, had submitted before the court that the Bose’s decision violated the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, which governs the relationship...