After HC cancels Mukul Roy’s membership, Assembly mulls legal options
The Statesman | 20 November 2025
The West Bengal Assembly secretariat has begun exploring legal options to challenge last week’s Calcutta High Court Division Bench ruling that struck down the Assembly membership of Mukul Roy.
According to secretariat officials, Speaker Biman Bandopadhyay’s office has initiated consultations with legal experts on the possible course of action. State Advocate General Kishor Datta visited the Assembly on Monday evening to meet the Speaker, fuelling speculation that the matter may soon be taken to the Supreme Court.
Neither the Speaker nor the Advocate General disclosed what transpired at the meeting.
However, the meeting has reinforced indications that the Secretariat is preparing to contest the High Court’s decision.
The Speaker, while declining to elaborate on the next steps, confirmed that he is currently evaluating all available legal options.
On 13 November, a Division Bench of Justice Debangsu Basak and Justice Md. Shabbar Rashidi had cancelled Roy’s membership of the House and also set aside the Speaker’s earlier order refusing to disqualify him.
Roy, once a senior Trinamul Congress functionary, switched to the BJP ahead of the 2021 Assembly elections and won the Krishnanagar (Uttar) seat in Nadia district on a BJP ticket.
Days after the Trinamul Congress returned to power for a third consecutive term, Roy rejoined the party but continued to remain a BJP MLA on paper.
The BJP had moved the Speaker seeking his disqualification on grounds of defection, but the plea was rejected.
The party then approached the Calcutta High Court, which, after an extended hearing, delivered its verdict on 13 November, disqualifying Roy from the Assembly.