Twenty NCPI MPs who quit the Trinamool Congress have sought three more weeks to respond to notices issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat over a petition seeking their disqualification.

The MPs, including Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, have separately written to the Lok Sabha Secretariat seeking time until September 22 to submit their responses.

The notices were issued on August 25 after the Supreme Court directed the Lok Sabha Secretariat to seek the responses of the 20 MPs. The notices had asked them to reply within seven days.

The development comes amid a legal challenge by Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee, who has sought the disqualification of the 20 MPs.

The MPs had rebelled against the Trinamool Congress following the party's performance in the West Bengal Assembly elections and subsequently joined the NCPI, an unrecognised political party, while extending support to the BJP-led NDA.

Despite their political alignment with the NDA, the 20 MPs continue to be listed as Trinamool Congress members in the Lok Sabha and have not received recognition as members of a separate party.

Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, chief whip of the NCPI MPs in the Lok Sabha, said the MPs needed additional time as their documents were not yet ready.

'The notice we received was from an official. In our response, we said that our documents were not ready and sought three weeks,' she said.

NCPI MP Arup Chakraborty said the decision to seek additional time was taken by the party leadership and confirmed that he had sent his response by email.

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the case next on September 18.