Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Wednesday said he would examine applications submitted by some of the 20 rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs seeking further extensions to respond to disqualification notices issued to them.
The MPs, who have joined the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), have already been granted four extensions to submit their replies.
"I have not seen but I am told some MPs have submitted applications seeking extension of the time. I will examine their applications. I will see whether any more extension can be given within the rules and if so how many times," Birla told reporters on the sidelines of a conference.
The development comes amid a pending disqualification proceeding against the MPs under the anti-defection law. On September 23, the Supreme Court said it expected the Speaker to take an "expeditious" decision on the petitions seeking their disqualification.
Last month, Birla had said he would hear both sides and expedite the process once the members submitted their responses.
TMC leader in the Lok Sabha Abhishek Banerjee had filed 20 separate petitions before the Speaker, seeking the disqualification of the MPs under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution. He argued that by joining another political party, the MPs had voluntarily given up their membership of the TMC and were liable to be disqualified.
Banerjee also urged the Speaker not to grant recognition, status or facilities to any group claiming to be a separate faction of the TMC.
The TMC leader subsequently moved the Supreme Court, alleging delays in deciding the disqualification petitions and seeking directions to the Speaker to complete the proceedings in accordance with the anti-defection provisions of the Constitution.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana had said it was aware that it could not direct the Speaker, "but we just want to remind him about expeditious resolution".
The dispute stems from a rebellion within the TMC parliamentary party, with 20 of its Lok Sabha members announcing that they had joined or merged with the NCPI and seeking separate recognition in the House.
The rebel MPs have since been treated as an NCPI group in Parliament and have participated in ruling NDA parliamentary activities.
The TMC has maintained that the MPs were elected on its ticket and that their decision to align with another political formation amounts to voluntarily giving up membership of the party, inviting disqualification under the anti-defection law.
The rebel camp, however, has maintained that its move constitutes a valid merger.
(With inputs from India)