TMC MLA Ritabrata Banerjee. File
| Photo Credit: ANI
Calcutta High Court on Thursday (June 18, 2026) refused to stay the decision of the West Bengal Assembly Speaker to recognise rebel Trinamool Congress MLA Ritabrata Banerjee as the Leader of Opposition instead of Trinamool chairperson Mamata Banerjee’s choice, Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay.
“No prayer for interim relief is made out, the balance of convenience is not in favour of the petitioner”, the court held.
The court, however, called for affidavits by all parties to examine the larger question of whether the speaker acted within the ambit of his powers while recognising the LoP.
The number of Trinamool Congress MLAs currently supporting Mr. Banerjee as the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly is 65. On June 3, two days after being expelled from the Trinamool Congress, Mr. Banerjee was announced as the Leader of the Opposition, with 58 of the 80 MLAs supporting him.
The Trinamool Congress moved the Calcutta High Court in the first week of June challenging the decision by West Bengal Assembly Speaker Rathindra Bose to recognise Mr. Banerjee as the LoP in the House.
The court, last week, questioned the Speaker’s decision to recognise the expelled Mr. Banerjee as the LoP of the West Bengal Assembly without the consent of the political party.
The Single Bench of the court, presided over by Justice Krishna Rao, asked the State, “The person, who was appointed as the LoP, doesn’t belong to any political party. He was expelled. Can the Speaker recognise a rebel leader as the LoP without the consent of a political party?”
The order comes on the day when West Bengal Governor R.N. Ravi is set to make his maiden address in the Legislature.
Published – June 18, 2026 11:46 am IST
