Calcutta HC refuses interim order on Bengal Assembly Speaker's decision over LoP appointment

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Thursday refused any interim order on the West Bengal Assembly Speaker Rathindra Bose's decision to appoint breakaway TMC group MLA Ritabrata Banerjee as the Leader of Opposition.

TMC MLA Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay moved the court, challenging the rejection of his nomination for the post and the appointment of Banerjee as the Leader of Opposition by the Speaker.

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Justice Krishna Rao, refusing any interim order on the Speaker's decision as prayed for by Chattopadhyay, directed that the matter would appear for hearing again on July 28.

The court directed the respondents in the petition to file affidavits within three weeks.

The petitioner will have the opportunity to reply to the affidavits within the subsequent two weeks, Justice Rao said.

The breakaway group has claimed the support of 58 of the total 80 TMC MLAs in the West Bengal assembly.

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Chattopadhyay, who belongs to the Mamata Banerjee-led group, had sought an interim order by the court on the ground that the first session of the 18th West Bengal Assembly was scheduled to commence on Thursday.