The Calcutta High Court on Thursday disqualified Mukul Roy from the West Bengal Legislative Assembly under the anti-defection law, overturning an earlier decision by the Speaker to let him retain his seat.
A division bench led by Justice Debangsu Basak ruled that the Speaker’s decision was “untenable” and violated the principles of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, which governs disqualification on the grounds of defection.
Roy, a senior political leader, was elected as a BJP MLA from Krishnanagar North in the 2021 Assembly elections but defected to the Trinamool Congress (TMC) soon after. He formally joined the ruling party in August 2021, appearing alongside Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
Despite the defection, Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee had dismissed petitions filed by Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari and BJP MLA Ambika Roy seeking Roy’s disqualification. The Speaker maintained that Roy continued to represent the BJP in the House — a stance the court has now struck down.
(More details awaited)