The Calcutta High Court on Thursday (Nov 13, 2025) disqualified senior political leader Mukul Roy from being a member of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly after he won the assembly elections on a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket four years ago.
Justice Debangsu Basak and Justice Md. Shabbar Rashidi said that on the facts and circumstances of the case, it was found that Mr. Roy had defected from BJP to Trinamool on 11 June 2021. It held that such action led to disqualification contemplated under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution.
“Respondent No. 2 is declared disqualified within the meaning of the Tenth Schedule to the Constitution of India and Rules, 1986 with effect from June 11, 2021,” the court said.
The court further said that since Mr. Roy has been declared disqualified with effect from June 11, 2021, his nomination as Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee has also been postponed.
Mr. Roy joined Trinamool Congress in June 2021 after being elected as MLA from Krishnanagar Uttar constituency on a BJP ticket.
Earlier this year, Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal Assembly and BJP MLA Suvendu Adhikari submitted a written reply to the Calcutta High Court regarding the defection of a BJP MLA to the Trinamool Congress.
Since the Trinamool came to power in West Bengal in 2011, nearly 50 MLAs from opposition parties, including the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the Congress and more recently the BJP, have joined the Trinamool and continued to participate in assembly proceedings.
“Over 50 MLAs have defected to Trinamool since 2011 and the Speaker of the Assembly did not disqualify them from being in the legislature. It was a four-year struggle. In the end, the constitution won. I was the petitioner as the Leader of the Opposition,” Mr Adhikari said on Thursday (Nov 13, 2025).
Published – 13 Nov 2025 22:10 IST
