Maharashtra: SC notice to Speaker on disqualification petitions against CM, other MLAs

The Supreme Court on Friday (July 14) issued a notice to the office of the Speaker of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly on a plea seeking a direction to expeditiously adjudicate the disqualification petitions filed against Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and other Shiv Sena MLAs, who had tied up with the BJP to form a new government in June 2022.

A bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud passed the order while hearing a petition filed by Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MLA Sunil Prabhu, who as the chief whip of the undivided Shiv Sena, had in 2022 filed the disqualification petitions against Shinde and other MLAs.

“We will issue notice returnable in two weeks,” the bench, also comprising Justices PS Narasimha and Manoj Misra, said.

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The petition for disqualification has alleged that Speaker Rahul Narwekar is deliberately delaying the adjudication despite the May 11 verdict of the apex court.

“The petitioner is constrained to invoke the extraordinary jurisdiction of this court under Article 32 of the Constitution of India, in light of the respondent Speaker’s conduct in choosing to deliberately delay the adjudication of the disqualification petitions filed by the petitioner against the delinquent members of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly,” the plea, filed through advocates Nishanth Patil and Amit Anand Tiwari, said.

It said the speaker, despite the categorical direction of the top court in its May 11 judgment that the pending disqualification petitions must be decided within a reasonable period, has chosen to not conduct a single hearing.

(With agency inputs)