Notices were issued by Lok Sabha Secretariat to 20 rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs asking for their response to petitions seeking disqualification under the anti-defection legislation by TMC chief Abhishek Banerjee.
The notices issued were in respect of Rule 6 of the Members of Lok Sabha (Disqualification on Ground of Defection Rules) 1985 dated 25 August. The MPs were invited to give their comments on Banerjee’s petitions within a week of receiving the notices, to be considered by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.
In June, Banerjee had submitted an application for the disqualification of 20 MPs, citing reasons which he said “violated the spirit” of the Constitution’s 10th Schedule.
Development follows shortly after the Supreme Court sought a response from Speaker Om Birla in Banerjee’s plea calling for an expeditious decision in the disqualification petitions. A Bench, presided over by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana said the issue before them was not whether notices were sent or not but whether the disqualification proceedings were to be completed.
The new reminders may thus be a major bidding up of the issue of the role of 20 MPs and the introduction of the anti-defection clause.