West Bengal Speaker rejects plea to disqualify Mukul Roy as MLA

The petition was filed by BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari after Mr. Roy joined the Trinamool Congress.

West Bengal Legislative Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee rejected a plea by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators to disqualify BJP legislator Mukul Roy, for the second time on Wednesday.  The petition was filed by Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari who had sought disqualification of Mukul Roy after he had joined the Trinamool Congress.

“I heard from both sides, elaborately discussed the earlier rulings cited by the petitioner. I am clearly of the view that the petitioner has failed to prove the contents of electronic evidence produced by him in support of the contention made in his petition,” the Speaker said. Mr. Banerjee said that the issue before him was a matter of law and he has given his ruling after listening to both parties.

Mukul Roy, a Trinamool Congress veteran, had switched sides and joined the BJP in 2017. He contested and won 2021 Assembly polls from Krishnanagar Dakshin seat on a BJP ticket. He again switched sides a month after the Assembly polls were declared, and joined TMC in June 2021. Mr. Roy was appointed the chairman of Public Accounts Committee, a post held by an Opposition legislator.  Mr. Adhikari sought Mr. Roy’s disqualification and approached the Speaker. In February this year, the Speaker dismissed the petition.

The Leader of Opposition approached the Supreme Court, which referred the matter to Calcutta High Court. The Calcutta High Court on April 11 set aside the Speaker’s earlier order and urged him to look into the matter for fresh consideration.

 Reacting to the developments, Mr. Adhikari said that the court had observed that his contention was “verified and valid”. “The court had given the Speaker an opportunity. I was waiting for this day. Tomorrow I will approach the court again,” Mr. Adhikari said.

 The matter of defection of legislators has remained a crucial issue in West Bengal politics. Along with Mr. Roy almost half a dozen of BJP legislators has switched sides and joined TMC and none of them have been disqualified. A decision on Mr. Roy’s disqualification is likely to have bearing on the fate of other defecting MLAs. Between 2011 to 2021 about 30 legislators of the Congress and the Left parties joined the TMC but none of them were disqualified as MLAs.