Supreme Court urges Election Commission to set deadline for Trinamool Congress split

The Supreme Court, observing the ongoing clash between two Trinamool Congress factions over the party's name and emblem, instructed the Election Commission to provide a clear schedule for a final ruling. The bench, comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, heard Mamata Banerjee's plea against the commission's interim order that froze the symbol as by-polls began. While Banerjee's counsel Kapil Sibal argued the order left her client without remedy and requested a decision by the end of October, senior lawyers for the rival faction, Mukul Rohatgi and N K Kaul, warned that a one-month period would be insufficient for submitting evidence. The court asked Election Commission counsel Dama Seshadri Naidu to report the reasonable time needed for a fair hearing and set the next date for September 28.