Trinamool Congress moved the Calcutta HC over the LoP line

Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay, the party’s nominee for the LoP, said he had filed an application in the Supreme Court for an urgent hearing in view of the scheduled commencement of the 18th West Bengal Assembly on June 18. File | Photo credit: PTI

The Trinamool Congress on Monday (June 8, 2026) moved the Calcutta High Court challenging West Bengal Assembly Speaker Rathindra Bose’s decision to recognize expelled MLA Ritabrata Banerjee as the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the House.

LoP party nominee Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay said he has filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking an urgent hearing in view of the scheduled commencement of the 18th West Bengal Assembly on June 18.

Sirsanya Bandyopadhyay, who would represent the Trinamool Congress in the matter, said, “The petition has been mentioned before Justice Krishna Rao, which is scheduled to be heard on Thursday.”

The case stems from a split in the Trinamool Congress Legislature on June 3, when at least 58 elected MLAs expelled MLA Mr. Ritabrat Banerjee as the new LoP. Mr. Ritabrata Banerjee’s leadership was later also recognized by Chairman Mr. Bose who said that the expulsion of Mr. Ritabrata Banerjee from the party violated the party’s constitution while the required strength was also considered.

The decision drew sharp opposition from the party leadership, which subsequently decided to challenge the Speaker’s case in the Supreme Court, arguing that the Speaker’s decision was illegal and violated parliamentary procedures and applicable rules.

The political crisis in the 28-year-old party came after the rebel bloc expressed utter displeasure with the growing influence of the party’s national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, who was also accused of forging signatures of MLAs in Mr Chattopadhyay’s nomination letter as LoP.

The Supreme Court is now likely to examine the legality of the Speaker’s decision recognizing Mr. Ritabrata Banerjee as the Leader of the Opposition and the conflicting claims regarding the leadership of the opposition bloc in the Assembly.

Published – 09 Jun 2026 0:13 IST