The Supreme Court on Monday posted for October 13 the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Sharad Pawar faction’s plea seeking directions to Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar to act on their petition for the disqualification of rebel Mas led by Ajit Pawar – now the deputy Chief minister in the Chief Minister Eknath Shide’s government in Maharashtra.
Posting the Sharad Pawar faction’s plea for hearing on October 13, Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, heading a bench also comprising Justice J B Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra, said the petition would be heard along with a similar plea of Shiv sena (Udhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Uddhav Thackeray demanding speedy adjudication of the disqualification petitions against Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and the MLAs who rebelled from Shiv Sena and supported him last year.
“Let this be heard with the other one already pending before us. They involve the same issue, and the prayers are also the same. We had asked the Speaker to lay down a time schedule. We will list this and the other matter together on Friday,” the bench said ibn a brief order.
Appearing for the Sharad Pawar faction of NCP, senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi told the bench that the first disqualification petition was filed before the Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar on July 2, but not even the notice has been issued in the matter till date.
Representing the Ajit Pawar faction, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi said that the petition before the top court was misleading as the latest disqualification petition was filed only in the first week of September.
However, Sibal said that the first petition was filed before the Speaker on July 2 and nothing has been done so far.
After Ajit Pawar splitting the NCP and walking out with 40 MLAs to join hands with Shinde led Maharashtra government, the Sharad Pawar group filed petitions before the Speaker Narwekar seeking disqualification of 40 MLAs for anti-party
Jayant Patil, Sharad Pawar loyalist, has moved the top court seeking direction to the Speaker for a time-bound disposal of the disqualification petitions in view of a similar direction passed by the top court in the case involving Shiv Sena party dispute between Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde group.
Last month, the apex court asked the Speaker to fast-track the adjudication of the disqualification petitions against Shinde and the MLAs who backed him during the 2022 rebellion. It had asked Narwekar to start hearing the petitions within a week and set down a time schedule for deciding them.
The Supreme court on September 18 had given Maharashtra legislative assembly Speaker two weeks’ time to apprise it (the court) on the time frame for completing the record and deciding the disqualification petitions against 56 rebel Shiv Sena MLAs pending before him since long, as court had flayed him (the Speaker) for just not doing anything despite its May 11, 2023, order.
Expressing strong displeasure over the manner in which the Speaker had not acted in the last four months since May 11, 2023, constitution bench judgment, Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud heading a bench (on September 18) had said that they expect “deference and dignity to the directions” issued by it (top court) and had stated “It cannot go on indefinitely. We will hear it after two weeks, let him tell us after two weeks on the steps he has taken and give the time frame to decide the matter.”