File photo of senior leader Mukul Roy. | Photo Credit: PTI The Supreme Court on Friday (January 16, 2026) stayed the Calcutta High Court verdict disqualifying senior leader Mukul Roy as an MLA of the West Bengal Assembly after he defected to the TMC from the BJP. A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi stayed the November 13, 2025 order of the High Court. Taking recourse to the anti-defection law, the High Court, for the first time, exercised its constitutional authority to disqualify an elected lawmaker under the anti-defection law. Mr. Roy was elected to the House on a BJP ticket from the Krishnanagar Uttar seat in May 2021, but joined the ruling Trinamool Congress in June that year in the presence of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, while retaining his MLA status. Published – January 16, 2026 03:32 pm IST Share this: Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Click to share on Threads (Opens in new window) Threads Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window) Telegram Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email More Click to print (Opens in new window) Print Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window) Pocket Click to share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon Click to share on Nextdoor (Opens in new window) Nextdoor Click to share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky Like this:Like Loading... Post navigation Watch | Republic Day 2026: António Costa, Ursula von der Leyen to visit India, trade deal on agenda Bangladesh players call off boycott; BPL resumes