Om Birla grants extension to rebel TMC MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay

The decision follows a formal request from Bandyopadhyay, who sought three additional weeks to prepare his defense against the June 18 petition filed by TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee. Joint Secretary Santosh Kumar confirmed the Speaker’s approval in a letter, marking a pause in the escalating legal and parliamentary struggle over the party's internal split.

Abhishek Banerjee recently met with the Speaker to demand an expedited ruling on the breakaway faction, which accounts for more than two-thirds of the TMC's original twenty-eight Lok Sabha members. While these rebels have been granted separate seating in the House, the Speaker has yet to officially recognize their merger with the NCPI. The matter remains under intense scrutiny as the TMC seeks to enforce anti-defection laws, a move already highlighted during proceedings in the Supreme Court where the Speaker’s office confirmed that notices have been issued to the twenty involved members.