Supreme Court notice on TMC’s Abhishek Banerjee plea for time-bound decision on disqualification of 20 rebel MPs

On August 25, 2026, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a plea by Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee, urging a time-bound decision on the disqualification of 20 rebel party MPs who have aligned with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI). A three-judge Bench, headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, issued notice to the Secretary General of the Lok Sabha and the 20 implicated MPs.

Initially, the Bench had sought notice to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, but Solicitor General Tushar Mehta argued there was no need, as the Speaker is a Constitutional authority. Justice Bagchi concurred, stating that the Speaker is a tribunal when handling disqualification petitions under the Tenth Schedule. The court proceeded to issue notice to the Secretary General and the implicated MPs, including Kakori Ghosh Dastidar, Sudip Bandyopadhyay, and others.

The dispute arose after 20 TMC MPs joined the NCPI and sought separate recognition, treating them as an NCPI group in Parliament and participating in NDA activities. TMC maintains that the MPs were elected on its symbol, while the rebels argue their move was a valid merger.