Shiv Sena's Uddhav Thackeray faction has filed another petition in the Supreme Court challenging the decision of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to recognise that Rahul Shewale belongs to the Eknath Shinde faction as floor leader.
A three-judge Bench of Chief Justice NV Ramana and Justices Krishna Murari and Hima Kohli is already scheduled to hear on August 1 a batch of petitions filed by the Thackeray faction in relation to several political developments in Maharashtra, before the Election Commission with regard to claim over the party and its symbol and in Parliament.
The fresh plea challenged the decision of the Lok Sabha Speaker to recognise Shewale as Shiv Sena's floor leader at the instance of the Shinde faction. The Uddhav group terms the action of the Speaker as “illegal” and “arbitrary” alleging that the Shiv Sena leader and its chief whip in the Lok Sabha were removed unilaterally. "The Speaker made the impugned changes to the positions of the leader and the chief whip without adhering to basic rules of natural justice or even calling for an explanation from the Shiv Sena political party or the petitioners herein, despite categorical requests in this regard having been communicated to him," the plea submitted.
The plea said names of Vinayak Raut and Rajan Vichare as the Leader and the Chief Whip of the Shiv Sena in the Lok Sabha respectively were reiterated and communicated to Birla, it said.
However, the Speaker approved the names proposed by the Shinde faction, it said. Chief Minister Shinde, with 12 of the 19 Lok Sabha members from Shiv Sena by his side, had named Shewale as leader of the party in the Lok Sabha and Bhawana Gawale as chief whip.