Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Thursday refused to pass an interim order staying the appointment of rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Ritabrata Banerjee as the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the West Bengal assembly. The decision came on the day the first assembly session commenced under the new Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government.
Court Hearing and Arguments
The court was hearing a plea filed by TMC MLA Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay, who challenged the Speaker's decision to appoint Ritabrata Banerjee as LoP. Chattopadhyay, the party's official nominee, argued that he should have been given the position instead. Justice Krishna Rao noted that the May 20 resolution submitted to the Speaker by TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, proposing Sobhandeb as LoP, "is in dispute." The judge also pointed out that an Alipore court had on June 15 stayed Ritabrata's expulsion from the TMC until June 30. The High Court will hear the case again on July 28.
TMC Loyalists' Stance
TMC loyalists, however, indicated they would not relent. Five MLAs—Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay, Kunal Ghosh, Madan Mitra, Abdul Rahim Boxi, and Asoke Deb—met Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and demanded separate seating arrangements in the assembly. "We will not sit with them (rebel MLAs). We also told CM Adhikari that we will not seek time allotments (to speak) from Ritabrata. He agreed and asked us to coordinate with parliamentary affairs minister Shankar Ghosh," Kunal Ghosh said. He added, "The CM was not only courteous to Sobhandeb – a 10-time MLA and senior-most in the assembly – but we did notice that during the governor's address, the seat to the left of the speaker, which is traditionally kept for LoP, was kept for Sobhandeb today."
Rebel MLAs' Reaction
Ritabrata Banerjee told reporters, "Out of 80 TMC MLAs, 65 are with us. Of the remaining 15, one is in jail. For the time being, 14 are on the other side. Let us wait and watch." Deputy LoP Sandipan Saha termed the High Court verdict a "moral victory" for them. "Ritabrata and I initiated this fight. We brought the signature irregularities (in TMC's letter) to the Speaker's notice. The issue then went to court, where it was challenged by Sobhandeb. Today's victory in court further confirms that the law is on our side." Junior parliamentary affairs minister Umesh Rai said, "The court has made it clear that Ritabrata Banerjee is the LoP."
Another Front Opened
Beyond the assembly premises, TMC MP and senior advocate Kalyan Banerjee opened another front on Thursday by claiming that he was called by a CID officer seeking permission to question him in a forged signature case. He questioned how police can interrogate a senior advocate who is arguing a matter in connection with a criminal case. He also sent a letter to the Calcutta High Court Bar Association drawing attention to the issue.
