The Shiv Sena (UBT) has approached the Supreme Court, seeking direction to the Maharashtra Assembly Speaker to promptly resolve the disqualification petitions filed against Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and other Sena MLAs.
These MLAs had formed a new government in alliance with the BJP in June 2022. The plea, filed by Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MLA Sunil Prabhu, who serves as the chief whip of the party, alleges that Speaker Rahul Narwekar is intentionally delaying the adjudication process, despite the Supreme Court’s verdict on May 11.
The plea filed through advocates Nishanth Patil and Amit Anand Tiwari states, “The petitioner is compelled to invoke the extraordinary jurisdiction of this court under Article 32 of the Constitution of India, due to the respondent Speaker’s deliberate delay in adjudicating the disqualification petitions filed by the petitioner against the erring members of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.”
According to the plea, the Speaker has not conducted a single hearing, even though the Supreme Court had clearly directed in its May 11 judgment that the pending disqualification petitions must be decided within a reasonable period. The plea further mentions that the petitioner has sent multiple representations requesting a hearing in the disqualification matters but the Speaker, in disregard of his constitutional duties as a neutral arbiter, has chosen to delay the adjudications. This delay allows Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, against whom the disqualification petitions are pending, to continue in his position unlawfully.
In his petition, Prabhu emphasizes the need for the court to direct the Speaker of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly to promptly decide the disqualification petitions filed against the erring members. He specifically seeks direction for the expeditious resolution of the disqualification petitions filed by him on June 23, 2022, June 25, 2022, June 27, 2022, July 3, 2022, and July 5, 2022, against the MLAs loyal to Eknath Shinde. Prabhu urges that these petitions be resolved within a time-bound manner, preferably within a period of two weeks.