00:00Let me take you through the top breaking news coming in at 5 p.m.
00:03The Supreme Court asking the Election Commission of India to decide
00:06the Trinamul Congress election symbol dispute within four months.
00:10Remember, there's been a temporary order that was given.
00:13Both these parties were given new symbols and that was temporary in the sense of the by-elections.
00:18Now the top court has maintained, I quote it here first,
00:21three months are enough for the Election Commission to finally decide the Trinamul Congress name,
00:26the flowers in grass symbol and the dispute between the rival factions.
00:30The court has directed all the parties to complete the pleading within four weeks,
00:34give the ECI three months thereafter to finally decide the dispute under paragraph 15 of the Election Symbol's order.
00:41The ECI had sought at least six months after the completion of pleadings,
00:45citing the scale of evidence, affidavits involved,
00:48but for now we are told that the judge had said three months is good enough.
00:54Our legal correspondent Anisha Mathur for the latest on that.
00:57Anisha, there is quite a difference between three months and six months.
01:00Why do you think the Supreme Court possibly has given the reason
01:03that three months should be enough to decide and end the dispute?
01:06Well, see, the argument before the court by the Mamata faction was very simple,
01:11that the Election Commission should not have passed the interim order
01:16giving one kind of symbol to both factions and recognising the other faction.
01:21With bi-polls also coming in, the Mamata faction also said that this decision has to be taken quickly.
01:28Election Commission, on the other hand, was saying that we will need about six months to decide the matter,
01:34that there is a lot of documentation that needs to be considered.
01:36But the court, however, said that if, you know, three months is quite enough,
01:42if there is some exigency, then you can come back to us and tell us why you cannot take that
01:47decision.
01:47Now, remember, just a few minutes before this matter was heard,
01:51in the speaker, in the disqualification case also,
01:55the Supreme Court has reminded the speaker as well
01:59that there has to be some reasonable timeline to make decisions,
02:03particularly when democratic principles are involved.
02:07So, it seems that the Supreme Court is once again reiterating
02:10that three to four months is considered a reasonable time to take decisions.
02:15Quickly, Anisha, how do you think this matter has progressed in the court?
02:19Because since the time we have seen defections, merging with another party,
02:23a rival faction that has claimed that they are the real TMC,
02:25how has this matter really been in the court?
02:28We have seen it play in political corridors, on the streets as well.
02:31But in court, of course, that is where the significance definitely changes.
02:35Well, see, Pooja, when you are looking at defections,
02:38when you are looking at a merger of parties,
02:41if you look at what has happened in the TMC case, right,
02:44the MLAs in the party have defected,
02:48well, the Mamata Banerjee faction says that the MLAs under Ritavrata Banerjee
02:52have defected and claimed control of the Trinamul Congress name.
02:56In the parliament, MPs have defected and gone and joined the NCPI.
03:03So, the TMC is fighting this battle on multiple fronts, really,
03:08whether it is the Speaker of the Parliament,
03:10whether it is the Speaker of the Assembly,
03:11recognising Ritavrata as the leader of opposition,
03:14whether it is the Election Commission,
03:15which on September 17th froze the symbol of the party
03:19and gave temporary symbols to both factions.
03:23A lot is being said in the court by the TMC's lawyers
03:26about the impact on democratic functioning of the state
03:32and how the various constitutional authorities,
03:36whether it is the Speaker, whether it is the Election Commission,
03:38whether the delay in taking decision would create,
03:42what Kapil Sibbal and Kalyan Banerjee have been arguing,
03:45is a faith, a comply.
03:48If there is no decision and there are elections that happen,
03:51then by default, one faction or the other will gain power,
03:57which is what we saw happening in the Shiv Sena case, for example,
04:00and which is still being fought out in the Supreme Court.
04:03The Shiv Sena simple dispute is still being taken out now.
04:06This could be very crucial.
04:07Anisha, please keep tracking all the latest
04:09on what happens with the TMC as well
04:10and will the matter be decided and how
04:12and what happens to Mamata Banerjee thereafter.
