Don’t want to delay hearing in Sena case: Maharashtra Speaker

The next hearing by Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar on the disqualification petitions filed against each other by two rival factions of the Shiv Sena will be held on Thursday instead of Friday.

Confirming the development, Mr. Narwekar said that as he had to attend the G-20 Parliamentary Speakers’ Summit in Delhi on Friday, he had advanced the schedule of the hearing. “It will now be held on Thursday instead of Friday. I could have fixed a later date for the hearing, but I did not because I did not want to delay the hearing any further. I want to take a decision at the earliest over the matter,” the Speaker said.

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The Shiv Sena founded by the late Bal Thackeray split in June last year following a rebellion by senior leader Eknath Shinde, who went on to become Chief Minister after unseating the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government. The Thackeray faction subsequently sought the disqualification of several MLAs, including Mr. Shinde, citing anti-defection laws.

Supreme Court order

Last month, the Supreme Court directed Mr. Narwekar to spell out the timeline for adjudication of the disqualification petitions filed against Chief Minister Shinde and his Sena MLAs within a week. Following this he began hearing the disqualification petitions filed by the two rival Sena factions and the first hearing was held on September 14.

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Maharashtra Speaker issues notices to MLAs of two Shiv Sena factions

In July, Mr. Narwekar had issued notices to 40 MLAs of the Mr. Shinde-led Sena and 14 of the Thackeray faction, seeking their replies on disqualification petitions against them. The list of MLAs included former Chief Minister Mr. Thackeray’s son and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray. However, notice was not issued against Sena (UBT) legislator Rutuja Latke, who was elected after the Sena split last year.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) has been accusing Mr. Narwekar of deliberately delaying in arriving at a decision on the disqualification pleas.

In February, the Election Commission allotted the name ‘Shiv Sena’ and the party’s bow and arrow symbol to the Shinde-led faction of the Shiv Sena, in effect recognising it as the original party founded by Balasaheb Thackeray. On May 11, the apex court ruled that Mr. Shinde will continue to be the Chief Minister of Maharashtra and said it cannot reinstate the MVA coalition government headed by Mr. Thackeray as the latter chose to resign without facing a floor test in the wake of Mr. Shinde’s rebellion.