On Tuesday, the Supreme Court will address a crucial plea filed by Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sunil Prabhu, challenging the Maharashtra Assembly Speaker’s decision that recognized the Eknath Shinde-led faction as the ‘real’ Shiv Sena.
Earlier this year, a bench led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and including Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, issued notices to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and 38 MLAs from his camp, seeking their responses to the petition.
The faction loyal to former CM Uddhav Thackeray disputes the 10 January ruling by Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar, which determined that Shinde’s group was the legitimate Shiv Sena due to its majority in both the legislative assembly and the party’s National Executive.
Prabhu’s plea also contests the Speaker’s dismissal of disqualification petitions targeting CM Shinde and his supporting MLAs, brought forward after the political turmoil that saw Shinde break away from Thackeray’s leadership.
Meanwhile, CM Shinde’s camp has urged the Supreme Court to remand the case to the Bombay High Court for a comprehensive hearing.
This follows a petition by Shiv Sena’s Chief Whip, Bharat Gogavale, seeking to disqualify 14 MLAs from the Thackeray faction.
The Bombay High Court had earlier issued notices to these MLAs.
Speaker Narwekar’s 10 January verdict, which dismissed disqualification petitions on both sides, provided temporary relief to Thackeray’s legislators, allowing them to avoid immediate expulsion from the Assembly.
In a related matter, the Supreme Court will also hear a petition filed by Jayant Patil, a leader from the Sharad Pawar faction of the NCP, seeking the disqualification of MLAs who defected to join Ajit Pawar and aligned with the Shiv Sena-BJP government.
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