The top court is hearing six petitions in the matter. One of them is from the Shinde camp and five from the Thackeray camp
New Delhi: The Supreme Court is witnessing a legal tussle between two camps of Shiv Sena to control the party. This comes weeks after the friction between the Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde camps brought down the Sena-NCP-Congress government in Maharashtra.
Here are the 10 latest developments:
- The top court is hearing six petitions in the matter. One of them is from the Shinde camp and challenges disqualification proceedings initiated by Deputy Assembly Speaker Narhari Zirwal against legislators of the faction when they were in Guwahati.
- The five pleas by the Thackeray camp challenge the new Speaker Rahul Narwekar’s steps, Governor BS Koshyari’s order asking the Thackeray government to prove its majority and a petition seeking suspension of Shinde camp MLAs.
- Kapil Sibal, counsel for the Thackerays, told the court today that the Shinde camp legislators had defied the whip and must be disqualified. He has also said the Governor should not have allowed them to take oath while Supreme Court proceedings were pending.
- Mr Sibal also argued that the election of the Assembly Speaker is invalid because the MLAs who voted for him should have been disqualified.
- He said that if this keeps happening, then 7-8 MLAs will be taken away every time. “What happens to the will of the people then who elected the MLAs? How can people be allowed to defect?,” he asked.
- Appearing for the Shinde camp, Harish Salve read out laws on disqualification proceedings. “Are we in such a hopeless situation that a man who cannot even find 20 MLAs to support him has to be brought back to power by the courts?,” he said.
- He said that MLAs from the Shinde camp have a right to democracy within the party and that raising your voice within the party is not defection or ground for disqualification.
- Responding to Mr Salve, Chief Justice of India NV Ramana said that laws apply to both the factions. “We had said in a past case that in such issues parties should approach high court first and then come here,” he said.
- Appearing for the Governor, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said he doesn’t have a copy of new pleas filed in the matter.
- When Mr Salve sought a week to file a reply on all issues, Mr Sibal insisted that they reply today. Mr Salve then responded, “I do not know why my friend is so apprehensive.”
Source:ndtv.com