Kolkata: Calcutta High Court on Thursday refused to pass an interim order staying the appointment of rebel Trinamool MLA Ritabrata Banerjee as leader of opposition in Bengal assembly. The order came on a day the first assembly session commenced with a BJP govt in office.The court was hearing a plea by Trinamool MLA Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay challenging the speaker’s decision to appoint Ritabrata, who had been expelled from the party, as LoP instead of him, the party’s official nominee. Justice Krishna Rao maintained that the May 20 resolution submitted to the speaker by Trinamool national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee proposing Sobhandeb as LoP “is in dispute”. The judge also pointed out that an Alipore court had on June 15 stayed Ritabrata’s expulsion from Trinamool till June 30.The HC will hear the case again on July 28.Trinamool loyalists, however, indicated they would dig in their heels. Five MLAs — Sobhandeb, Kunal Ghosh, Madan Mitra, Abdul Rahim Boxi and Asoke Deb — met CM Suvendu Adhikari and demanded that separate sitting arrangements be made for them in assembly.“We will not sit with them (rebel MLAs). We also told CM Adhikari that we will not seek time allotments (to speak) from Ritabrata. He agreed and asked us to coordinate with parliamentary affairs minister Shankar Ghosh,” Kunal said and added, “The CM was not only courteous to Sobhandeb – a 10-time MLA and senior-most in the assembly – but we did notice that during governor’s address, the seat to the left of the speaker, which is traditionally kept for LoP, was kept for Sobhandeb today.”Ritabrata told reporters, “Out of 80 Trinamool MLAs, 65 are with us. Of the remaining 15, one is in jail. For the time being, 14 are on the other side. Let us wait and watch.” Deputy LoP Sandipan Saha said the HC verdict was a “moral victory” for them. “Ritabrata and I had initiated this fight. We brought the signature irregularities (in Trinamool’s letter) into the notice of Speaker. The issue then went to court, where it was challenged by Sobhandeb. Today’s victory in high court further confirms that the law is on our side.”Junior parliamentary affairs minister Umesh Rai said, “The court has made it clear that Ritabrata Banerjee is the LoP.”Beyond the assembly premises, Trinamool MP and senior advocate Kalyan Banerjee opened another front on Thursday by claiming that he was called by a CID officer seeking permission to question him in the forged signature case. He wondered how police can interrogate a senior advocate who is arguing a matter in connection with a criminal case. He also shot off a letter to the Calcutta High Court Bar Association drawing attention to the issue.Ritabrata told reporters, “Out of 80 Trinamool MLAs, 65 are with us. Of the remaining 15, one is in jail. For the time being, 14 are on the other side. Let us wait and watch.” Deputy LoP Sandipan Saha said the HC verdict was a “moral victory” for them. “Ritabrata and I had initiated this fight. We brought the signature irregularities (in Trinamool’s letter) into the notice of Speaker. The issue then went to court, where it was challenged by Sobhandeb. Today’s victory in high court further confirms that the law is on our side.”Junior parliamentary affairs minister Umesh Rai said, “The court has made it clear that Ritabrata Banerjee is the LoP.”Beyond the assembly premises, Trinamool MP and senior advocate Kalyan Banerjee opened another front on Thursday by claiming that he was called by a CID officer seeking permission to question him in the forged signature case. He wondered how police can interrogate a senior advocate who is arguing a matter in connection with a criminal case. He also shot off a letter to the Calcutta High Court Bar Association drawing attention to the issue.
