In a recent development, the Supreme Court has granted an extension until January 10 for Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar to deliver a judgment on disqualification petitions, including that against Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
The Speaker had requested additional time to decide on disqualification pleas involving rebel MLAs from Shiv Sena and NCP. Initially, the Supreme Court had set a deadline of December 31 for the Speaker to rule on the pending disqualification petitions.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Speaker, informed the court that the proceedings would conclude on December 20, but due to the extensive examination of numerous documents, an extension was necessary. He sought a three-week extension, stating that no further time would be requested.
Despite objections from Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the Uddhav Thackeray group, the bench, comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, granted an extension until January 10, 2023, for the Speaker to deliver the judgment.
This decision follows the top court’s instruction for the Speaker to decide on disqualification petitions related to the Shiv Sena and NCP factions by December 31, 2023, and January 31, 2024, respectively.
The disqualification pleas, pending since the Maharashtra political crisis, involve 34 petitions filed by both groups of Shiv Sena against each other, seeking the disqualification of 56 MLAs. The top court expressed disapproval of the Speaker’s delay in deciding these petitions, noting that it had been urging a decision for four months.
The disqualification petitions were filed after the MLAs revolted against Uddhav Thackeray. The court’s earlier ruling held that it could not disqualify the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government and reinstate Uddhav Thackeray due to Thackeray’s resignation.
