Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Aug 25: The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued notices to 20 rebel Lok Sabha MPs of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on a petition filed by party leader Abhishek Banerjee seeking an early decision on disqualification petitions pending against them under the anti-defection law.

The disqualification petitions were filed after the 20 TMC MPs allegedly switched parties. However, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla is yet to take a decision on the pleas.

Banerjee approached the Supreme Court seeking directions for the Speaker to expeditiously decide the pending petitions under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, which provides for disqualification of legislators on grounds of defection.

During Tuesday's hearing, the court issued notices to the other parties, including the 20 rebel MPs. However, it did not issue notice to Speaker Om Birla at this stage.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta urged the court not to issue notice to the Speaker immediately, saying he would seek instructions from the Speaker and apprise the court of his position.

The court accepted the request and decided to wait for further submissions before considering whether notice should be issued to the Speaker.

Justice Bagchi observed that the court did not intend to issue directions to a constitutional authority, but emphasised that decisions in such matters should be taken within a reasonable period.

The Supreme Court clarified that notices were being issued for the present only to the other parties and not to the Lok Sabha Speaker.

The case relates to the pending disqualification petitions against the 20 MPs and the demand for their expeditious disposal under the anti-defection provisions of the Constitution.

The matter is expected to be taken up further after responses are received from the concerned parties and the Solicitor General informs the court about the Speaker's position.