Calcutta HC Rejects TMC Plea, Confirms Ritabrata Banerjee Leader of Opposition

Kolkata (IANS): A single-judge bench of the Calcutta High Court on Thursday upheld West Bengal Assembly Speaker Rathindra Bose’s decision to accept expelled Trinamool Congress Legislator Ritabrata Banerjee as the leader of the party’s new majority bloc and the official Leader of the Opposition (LoP).

Justice Krishna Rao pronounced the judgment on Thursday morning, refusing to issue any interim directions against the Speaker’s decision. The ruling effectively nullifies the minority Trinamool Congress bloc’s proposal to appoint veteran legislator Sovandeb Chattopadhyay as the LoP.

Currently, the 294-seat West Bengal Assembly includes 80 Trinamool Congress legislators. A total of 60 legislators officially back the rebel majority bloc—a number Ritabrata claimed had risen to 64 earlier this week. Conversely, the original bloc loyal to Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee commands the support of just 20 legislators.

While Justice Rao refused to pass an interim order on Thursday, he scheduled the next hearing for July 28. He directed both the petitioner and the defendant to file affidavits before that date.

Concurrently, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is probing alleged signature mismatches on the minority bloc’s resolution, which had nominated Sovandeb Chattopadhyay as LoP, Asima Patra and Nayna Bandopadhyay as deputy leaders, and Firhad Hakim as Chief Whip.

Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha originally flagged these mismatches, prompting the CID investigation. Although Trinamool immediately suspended both Banerjee and Saha, 60 legislators led by Ritabrata revolted and submitted a fresh resolution claiming majority status. The Speaker accepted this fresh resolution, officially recognizing Ritabrata Banerjee as the LoP and triggering the subsequent legal challenge.