Mukul is a BJP MLA, rules Bengal assembly speaker

Biman Banerjee rejected a petition filed by Suvendu Adhikari and Ambika Roy that sought Roy's disqualification under the anti-defection law

Mukul Roy : File Picture

Arkamoy Datta Majumdar   |   TT  |  Calcutta   |    09.06.22  : Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee on Wednesday ruled that Mukul Roy was a BJP MLA.

Banerjee rejected a petition filed by BJP MLAs Suvendu Adhikari and Ambika Roy that sought Mukul’s disqualification under the anti-defection law. According to Banerjee, there was no merit in the petitioners’ arguments.

On February 11, Banerjee had pronounced the same judgment against which Suvendu moved Calcutta High Court and later the Supreme Court. The apex court sent it back to high court. Banerjee’s judgment was set aside by the high court on April 11. The high court asked Speaker Banerjee to conduct a fresh hearing of the case.

“The entire focus was on the electronic evidence (produced by Suvendu and Ambika Roy) that also I’ve discussed very categorically,” the Speaker told journalists.

“I’m clearly of the view that the petitioner (referring to Suvendu and Ambika Roy) failed to prove the contents of the electronic evidence produced by him in support of his contentions in the petition,” he said.

Mukul, who became an MLA  in 2021 on a BJP ticket, defected to Trinamul — his old party — soon after. Suvendu filed a petition with the Speaker demanding cancellation of Mukul’s Assembly membership under anti-defection law. When Banerjee ruled in favour of Mukul, Suvendu moved court, saying he had electronic evidence that Mukul had defected and was no longer a BJP member.

After Wednesday’s ruling, Suvendu said he would again move court on Thursday.

He said the Speaker “acted as a Trinamul MLA”.

“I’ll move the Chief Justice’s bench of Calcutta High Court on Thursday,” Suvendu told journalists.