New Delhi: The Lok Sabha Secretariat has formally served notices to 20 rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) Members of Parliament who switched allegiance to the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), directing them to submit their official explanations within seven days of receipt. The action stems from a disqualification petition filed by TMC Lok Sabha leader and national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee under the anti-defection provisions of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution.
Submitted in June under Rule 6 of the Members of Lok Sabha (Disqualification on Ground of Defection) Rules, 1985, the plea seeks the immediate disqualification of the dissident lawmakers. Citing Rule 7(3) of the parliamentary rules, the Secretariat forwarded copies of the complaint to the concerned MPs, requiring their formal representations for consideration by the Lok Sabha Speaker.
The development coincided with proceedings in the Supreme Court, where a bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant issued notices to the 20 rebel MPs regarding Banerjee’s plea for a time-bound decision, while declining to issue notices to the Speaker’s office. TMC leader Mahua Moitra publicly criticised the timing of the Secretariat’s communication, sharing images of the notice on social media and alleging that the administrative action was hastily processed to match the court hearing date.
