Shiv Sena Row: UBT Faction Files Plea in SC Objecting Maha Speaker’s Meeting with CM Shinde

Shiv Sena’s Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) faction has filed an application to the Supreme Court, opposing a meeting between Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde ahead of the verdict in the Shiv Sena MLA disqualification case.

The Speaker is scheduled to announce the verdict on January 10 at 4 pm. As per the details, objections have been raised by the Uddhav Thackeray faction regarding the meeting between Speaker Rahul Narwekar and Chief Minister Shinde at his residence on January 7 (Sunday).

In the application, Shiv Sena UBT leader Sunil Prabhu stated that they had “received alarming news that the Speaker, Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, had a meeting with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde at his official residence.”

The application was filed in the writ petition seeking the expeditious disposal of disqualification petitions against the Shinde faction and to place additional documents on record.

“It is highly improper for the Speaker to meet Eknath Shinde three days before deciding on the disqualification petition. The Speaker is required to act in an impartial manner. However, the present act of the Speaker raises questions about his fairness and impartiality in the decision-making process,” the application stated.

“The present act of the Speaker is in violation of the legal maxim that justice should not only be done, it should also be seen,” it mentioned. The application also emphasized that the meeting should be brought to notice to bring it on record and pass the order.

Maharashtra Speaker Rahul Narwekar is set to deliver his verdict on January 10 on the disqualification petitions against Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and several MLAs whose rebellion had split the Shiv Sena in June 2022.

The Supreme Court had initially set the deadline for delivering the verdict as December 31, 2023. However, on December 15, the court granted a 10-day extension, setting January 10 as the new date for the decision.

THE CASE

In June 2022, Shinde and several MLAs rebelled against then-Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, leading to a split in the Sena and the fall of the Maha Vikas Aghadi, which also included the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress.

Cross petitions were filed by the Shinde and Thackeray factions seeking action against the other under anti-defection laws. Functionaries from both factions stated they would approach the Supreme Court in case of an unfavorable verdict from the Speaker.

After the rebellion in June 2022, Shinde became Chief Minister with the support of the BJP. In July last year, the Ajit Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party joined his government.

The Election Commission assigned the ‘Shiv Sena’ name and ‘bow and arrow’ symbol to the Shinde-led faction, while the one headed by Thackeray was designated Shiv Sena (UBT) with its symbol being a flaming torch.