The Calcutta high court on Tuesday sought clarity on the powers of the West Bengal Assembly Speaker while hearing an unprecedented dispute over the appointment of the Leader of Opposition (LoP), a controversy stemming from rival claims within the Trinamool Congress (TMC).Justice Krishna Rao was hearing a plea challenging the recognition of rebel MLA Ritabrata Banerjee as LoP instead of Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay, the nominee backed by the Mamata Banerjee-led faction.Court seeks clarity on Speaker’s powersDuring the hearing, Justice Rao questioned how the Speaker should proceed when two conflicting proposals for the LoP post are submitted by the same political party.The court also asked whether the Speaker can ignore the recommendation of the largest opposition party and appoint another member without first hearing all concerned parties, PTI reported.Representing the Speaker, Additional Advocate General Billwadal Bhattacharya argued that the issue was unprecedented and said it was the first time in the Assembly’s history that the appointment of the LoP had become contentious.Signature dispute complicates the matterThe Speaker’s counsel informed the court that TMC MLAs Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha had alleged that their signatures on a resolution backing Chattopadhyay were forged.Following the complaint on May 27, the matter was referred to the CID for investigation.Bhattacharya further submitted that the Speaker later received another document carrying the signatures of 58 TMC MLAs supporting Banerjee as LoP and Saha as chief whip.The matter is scheduled to be heard again on Wednesday.
