Shiv Sena (UBT) has knocked on the Supreme Court's door once more, seeking direction to the speaker of the Maharashtra assembly to quickly and timeously decide on the disqualification petitions brought against Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and other Sena MLAs who had partnered with the BJP to form a new government in June 2022.
The plea by Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Sunil Prabhu, who as chief whip of the undivided Shiv Sena had in 2022 filed the disqualification petitions against Shinde and other MLAs, alleged 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 advocate Nishanth Patil and Amit Anand Tiwari said.
The petitioner has also sent more than three subsequent representations dated May 15, 2023, May 23, 2023 and June 2, 2023 to convene a hearing in the said disqualification matters, however, the respondent Speaker in brazen disregard to his constitutional duties as a neutral arbiter, has sought to delay the adjudications of the disqualification petitions, thereby, permitting the illegal continuance of Eknath Shinde as Chief Minister, against whom the disqualification petitions are pending, it said.
Prabhu, in his petition said, Therefore, it is imperative for this court to direct the Speaker, Maharashtra legislative assembly, to decide the disqualification petitions filed by the petitioner against delinquent members of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly expeditiously, within a time-bound manner.” He sought direction to the speaker to decide the disqualification petitions dated June 23, 2022, June 25, 2022, June 27, 2022, July 3, 2022, and July 5, 2022 filed by him under provisions of the 10th schedule against the MLAs loyal to Shinde expeditiously and in a time-bound manner, preferably within a period of two weeks.