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Calcutta HC Upholds Speaker's Decision Amid TMC Leadership Dispute
The Calcutta High Court has declined to issue a stay on the Speaker's decision regarding the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the West Bengal Assembly. The court emphasized that the Speaker's determination about which party holds the greatest numerical strength is definitive. In this instance, the court noted that 58 out of 80 members of the AITC had jointly approached the Speaker, asserting their collective strength, while the TMC's appointment of Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as LoP was under contention.
During the proceedings, the court highlighted that when Ritabrata was named LoP on June 3, an inquiry was conducted by the Speaker. Recently, an Alipore court ordered a stay on the expulsion notice against Ritabrata, complicating the ongoing dispute. The court ultimately decided that there was no compelling case for a temporary order in favor of the petitioner and therefore rejected the request.
Ritabrata, claiming support from 58 MLAs, has written to Speaker Rathindra Bose to assert his claim to the LoP position. This development followed a letter from TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, who urged the Speaker to formally recognize Chattopadhyay as the LoP based on established practices. Ritabrata expressed confidence in the backing of a significant portion of the party, stating,
“This two-thirds strong legislative team of the Trinamool Congress...believes in ‘we’.”
Chattopadhyay has since filed a petition contesting the Speaker's ruling, arguing that the Speaker overlooked the party's official decision in favor of a factional leader. The situation has escalated with accusations against Banerjee for allegedly forging signatures related to the appointment letter, prompting an FIR and an investigation by the West Bengal CID. As tensions rise, over 58 MLAs have declared themselves as the principal opposition, while others are actively seeking recognition for Chattopadhyay.
During recent court hearings, the judge questioned the Speaker's decision-making process, particularly regarding the order in which proposals were considered. The Speaker defended his decision by citing the unprecedented scenario presented to him, noting that 58 legislators had directly supported Ritabrata's claim. In contrast, Chattopadhyay contends that the Speaker favored the legislative faction over the party's official stance, further complicating an already fractious situation within the TMC.
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