Supreme Court orders Maharashtra speaker to decide on disqualification pleas by December 31
In a previous ruling earlier this month, the court expressed its dissatisfaction with Narwekar's handling of the disqualification petitions and indicated that a timeline would be established if the speaker did not provide an expedited schedule.
FollowThe Supreme Court on Monday (October 30) issued a directive to Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar, instructing him to make a determination on the disqualification petitions against Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and the supporting MLAs by December 31. The court's decision follows concerns raised over delays in the adjudication of these petitions.
In a previous ruling earlier this month, the court expressed its dissatisfaction with Narwekar's handling of the disqualification petitions and indicated that a timeline would be established if the speaker did not provide an expedited schedule.
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The court's commitment to upholding its decisions and maintaining the dignity of the judicial process was reiterated on October 13. Furthermore, it urged the Maharashtra assembly speaker to present a realistic timeframe for the hearing of disqualification petitions against Shiv Sena MLAs.
The Supreme Court also emphasized the need for a prompt decision on the disqualification pleas before the upcoming assembly elections, as any further delay would render the entire process ineffective.
The disqualification petitions arose due to internal conflicts within the Shiv Sena party. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, along with 39 MLAs, defected from the parent party to align with the BJP, forming a new government.
To address these issues, the speaker issued notices to a total of 54 MLAs. However, notice was not issued to Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Rutuja Latke, who was elected after the party's split.
In May of this year, the Supreme Court upheld Shinde's position as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra and declined to reinstate the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition government led by Thackeray. The court reasoned that Thackeray had chosen to resign rather than face a floor test following Shinde's rebellion.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) has accused Narwekar of intentionally delaying the decision on the disqualification petitions. In response, Narwekar stated that he would not rush the decision but assured that it would not be needlessly delayed, as this could lead to a "miscarriage of justice."
