The Supreme Court is slated to hear petitions filed by former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray challenging the legitimacy of the Eknath Shinde government, and the Maharashtra CM’s challenge to his former predecessor’s key decisions against him and the rebel MLAs on Wednesday. Urged by Uddhav Thackeray faction’s counsel Kapil Sibal to list the matter for urgent hearing, the bench of Chief Justice N V Ramana has decided to take up five petitions for hearing on July 20.
Earlier, the CJI-led bench, also comprising Justices Hima Kohli and Krishna Murari, had directed Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar not to proceed with the Shinde government’s disqualification plea against the MLAs from the Thackeray faction for defying the whip order during the vote of confidence and the election of the Speaker.
In one of the petitions, scheduled to come up for hearing on Wednesday, against the Shinde government, the Thackeray-led Sena faction has challenged Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari’s June 30 invite to the BJP-Shinde alliance to form government in Maharashtra. The Shinde-led faction, on the other hand, has challenged Thackeray Sena’s appointments of party Chief Whip and Legislature party’ head in the Assembly.
The Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena has also challenged Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal’s disqualification notices sent to the incumbent CM and 15 other rebel legislators, arguing that Shinde himself was facing proceedings.
Thackeray faction has also challenged newly-elected Speaker Rahul Narvekar’s decision to recognise Shinde as the party’s legislature leader and Bharat Gogawale as the chief whip in place of Sunil Prabhu.
Prabhu has sought the suspension of rebel MLAs during the interim period till the SC passes an order on their disqualification proceedings pending before the apex court. Subhash Desai, the General Secretary of the Shiv Sena (Thackeray faction), has challenged both the special assembly sessions held to elect the Speaker and conduct a trust vote, calling them ‘illegal.’