The Supreme Court on Tuesday (August 25, 2026) agreed to hear a plea filed by Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee contending that Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla was delaying disqualification proceedings under the anti-defection law against 20 rebel party MPs who have aligned themselves with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI).
The TMC leader said he had met Speaker Birla on August 12 over the issue after sending a written reminder on July 27. The dispute follows a rebellion within the TMC parliamentary party after 20 of its Lok Sabha MPs announced that they had joined or merged with the NCPI, a Tripura-based political outfit, and sought separate recognition in the House.
However, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Speaker, said there was no need to issue notice to the Speaker, who is a Constitutional authority. Senior advocate Kalyan Banerjee, for the Trinamool Congress leader, said formal notice was required as there were other respondents arraigned in the petition.
The rebel MPs have subsequently been treated as an NCPI group in Parliament and have participated in NDA parliamentary activities.
