Supreme Court Urges West Bengal Speaker to Decide Rebel TMC MLA Disqualification Pleas by October 8

The Supreme Court disposed of a petition seeking an expeditious decision on disqualification proceedings against ten West Bengal MLAs after expressing confidence that the Speaker would act within the three-month period recognised in earlier precedent.

What happened

The Supreme Court disposed of a petition seeking an expeditious decision on disqualification proceedings against ten West Bengal MLAs after expressing confidence that the Speaker would act within the three-month period recognised in earlier precedent. The petitions were filed on July 8, making October 8 the end of that period. The Bench referred to the principle in Keisham Meghachandra Singh that disqualification petitions should ordinarily be decided within a reasonable time. Rather than issuing a coercive deadline, the Court recorded its expectation that the Speaker would endeavour to decide the pending petitions within the applicable period. The merits of alleged defection remain undecided.

Legal significance

The legal effect is confined to the present ruling or procedural development. Allegations and submissions are not treated as established facts.

What follows

The matter proceeds according to the operative judicial or statutory process described above.

Source: Original report