Asianet NewsableAsianet Newsable

Maharashtra crisis: Speaker not to decide on any disqualification

According to the Chief Justice, certain of the problems raised in petitions may necessitate referral to a five-judge panel. "I really believe that some of the difficulties may necessitate a larger bench. The matter can be heard by a larger bench," he remarked.

Maharashtra crisis Speaker not to decide on any disqualification gcw
Author
New Delhi, First Published Jul 20, 2022, 12:57 PM IST

The Supreme Court on Wednesday scheduled the hearing of a batch of cases relating to the recent political turbulence in Maharashtra that resulted in the collapse of the state's Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) administration for August 1. A bench comprising Chief Justice NV Ramana and Justices Krishna Murari and Hima Kohli also extended Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's camp time to file an affidavit on the Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray faction's demands.

According to the Chief Justice, certain of the problems raised in petitions may necessitate referral to a five-judge panel. "I really believe that some of the difficulties may necessitate a larger bench. The matter can be heard by a larger bench," he remarked. He further stated that Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar will not rule on any disqualification cases. The Supreme Court also ordered the secretary of the Legislative Assembly to maintain all records in safe possession.

Senior counsel Kapil Sibal, representing the Uddhav group, told a panel led by Chief Justice N V Ramana that Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari should not have sworn in the new administration while the Supreme Court was considering the case.

Also Read | Has Uddhav Thackeray lost control of his party in Parliament as well?

"It is malafide for the Speaker to recognise a whip other than the official whip chosen by the party," Sibal said the bench, which also included Justices Krishna Murari and Hima Kohli.

This comes over a month after more than two-thirds of Shiv Sena MLAs supported rebel leader Eknath Shinde, who is now the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, in bringing down the state's MVA administration.

On Tuesday, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena suffered another setback when 12 of its 19 Lok Sabha members switched allegiance to Shinde and declared two-term member Rahul Shewale as their lower house leader.

Also read: Big jolt to Uddhav Thackeray as more MPs back Eknath Shinde ahead of SC hearing

Follow Us:
Download App:
  • android
  • ios