Ritabrata Banerjee Retains Opposition Leader Role After Calcutta High Court Ruling

The Calcutta High Court rejected an interim stay filed by opposition member Shovan Deb Chatterjee and upheld the speaker’s earlier decision that recognises Ritabrata Banerjee as the leader of the opposition in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly. The court found no grounds to suspend the speaker’s order and dismissed the plea to overturn Banerjee’s appointment.

Judge Krishna Rao directed all parties to file affidavits and counter‑affidavits within three weeks and scheduled the next hearing for 28 July. The dispute centres on whether a floor‑test was required to determine the majority support among legislators; the speaker had relied on letters from a majority of lawmakers, while the challengers alleged forged signatures. The ruling comes just hours before the Assembly’s budget session, keeping the opposition leadership question alive in state politics.