{
  "id": 10392652,
  "title": "SC pushes Bengal Speaker on 10 rebel TMC MLAs",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/sc-pushes-bengal-speaker-on-10-rebel-tmc-mlas",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-28T06:51:51.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Economic Times",
    "slug": "the-economic-times",
    "url": "https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/sc-asks-west-bengal-speaker-to-decide-disqualification-pleas-against-10-rebel-tmc-mlas-within-fixed-timeframe/articleshow/134534674.cms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Supreme Court expressed confidence on Monday that West Bengal Assembly Speaker Rathindra Bose was aware of the three-month timeframe for handling disqualification petition decisions, and would strive to resolve the petitions against 10 rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) legislators within the set limit. The petition called for swift action on the disqualification proceedings, which involved legislators belonging to the rebel TMC faction led by opposition leader Ritabrata Banerjee.\n\nThe ten MLAs facing disqualification proceedings are Ritabrata Banerjee, Arup Roy, Firhad Hakim, Sandipan Saha, Akhruzzaman Ansari, Shiuli Saha, Sabina Yasmin, Biplab Mitra, Javed Khan, and Rathin Ghosh. Earlier this month, the Assembly Secretariat had issued notices to them requesting their responses to the disqualification petition. These proceedings are part of the ongoing power struggle within TMC's legislative wing, which intensified following the party's electoral defeat in West Bengal.\n\nThe dispute escalated when a significant number of TMC MLAs backed Ritabrata Banerjee, who was later designated as the Leader of the Opposition by Assembly Speaker Rathindra Bose. This decision was challenged by the Mamata Banerjee-led faction, who nominated senior MLA Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay for the role. The nomination was dismissed by the Calcutta High Court, which did not grant interim relief against Ritabrata's appointment.\n\nThe court emphasized the significance of expeditious decisions in defection matters, warning that prolonged proceedings could enable a member under scrutiny to retain their MLA status despite the unresolved question of their membership. The Bengal case is taking place concurrently with a similar dispute in Parliament, where TMC is seeking the disqualification of 20 rebel Lok Sabha MPs who have defected from the party. The Supreme Court recently urged Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to swiftly deal with those petitions, also citing the three-month rule from its previous judgment. These events are part of a broader split within TMC following the recent West Bengal Assembly elections, with rival factions contesting the party's name and election symbol before the Election Commission.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}