Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar on Monday began a hearing regarding the disqualification petitions filed against each other by rival Shiv Sena factions led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his predecessor Uddhav Thackeray. The hearing started at 3 pm yesterday. Notably, a large number of MLAs from both parties sent their lawyers to attend the hearing in their stead. Earlier, Narwekar issued notices to 53 MLAs to appear for the hearing on the disqualification petitions filed against each other by both factions. Among them, 40 MLAs were from the Shinde group and 13 MLAs from the Thackeray faction. An MLA from the Uddhav group had been elected later and for this reason, he did not have a notice sent to him.
Earlier last week, the Supreme Court gave Narwekar a week’s time for adjudication of the disqualification petitions filed against Shinde and his Sena MLAs who tied up with the BJP to form a new state government in June 2022 and stated that “nothing has been done so far” despite the apex court’s direction for deciding the pleas within a “reasonable time”. Speaking at an event, Narwekar had on Thursday said that he wouldn’t delay the decision on the disqualification pleas of some Sena MLAs but wouldn’t rush into it either as it may result in a “miscarriage of justice”. A total of 34 petitions are being heard. Both factions are being represented by their respective lawyers. In July, Narwekar had issued notices to 40 MLAs of the Shinde-led Sena and 14 of the Thackeray faction, seeking their replies on disqualification petitions against them. Sunil Prabhu, in his capacity as the chief whip of the undivided Shiv Sena, had filed the disqualification petitions against Shinde and 15 MLAs last year after they rebelled and joined hands with the BJP to form a new government in June 2022. On 11 May this year, the Supreme Court ruled that Shinde would continue to be the CM of Maharashtra. The apex court also said it could not reinstate the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition government headed by Uddhav Thackeray as the latter chose to resign without facing a floor test in the wake of Shinde’s rebellion.