New Delhi, Sept. 29 -- The Supreme Court on Monday said that the West Bengal assembly speaker has time till October 8 to decide on the disqualification petitions filed against 10 Trinamool Congress legislators, observing that its 2020 decision requires the speaker to decide on such pleas within three months.

Noting that the disqualification pleas against the 10 MLAs led by Ritabrata Banerjee were filed on July 8, a bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant said, "This court in Keisham Meghachandra Singh v Speaker, Manipur Legislative Assembly (2020) has held that in deciding disqualification petitions, the speaker acts as a tribunal and such power is to be exercised within a reasonable period." That decision had laid down a...