The Supreme Court on Monday said it will hear in August the plea filed by the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) faction challenging the Maharashtra Assembly Speaker’s decision to allot the iconic ‘bow and arrow’ party symbol to the Eknath Shinde-led faction. The bench, comprising Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi, observed that the matter has been pending for too long and the uncertainty must be resolved.
“We will be fixing the matter in August for final disposal of the main case,” the bench said, responding to senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who appeared for the Thackeray faction and urged for an expeditious hearing citing upcoming local body elections in the state.
Senior advocate Neeraj Kishan Kaul, representing the Shinde faction, reminded the court that an earlier request for urgent hearing had been denied. Sibal countered by asserting that the Speaker’s 2023 decision to hand over the party symbol based on legislative majority went against a Constitution Bench judgment of the Supreme Court.
Justice Kant noted that a specific date for hearing would be given later, ensuring it doesn’t conflict with other scheduled matters. The matter had earlier come up on May 7, when the bench advised the Thackeray faction to focus on local body polls and postponed the hearing until after the summer break.
The controversy stems from Speaker Rahul Narwekar’s January 10, 2024 decision rejecting the Thackeray-led faction’s petition seeking disqualification of 16 MLAs from the ruling camp, including Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. The plea in the Supreme Court alleges that the Speaker’s ruling was “patently unlawful and perverse,” as it rewarded defection by accepting the legislative majority as the true representation of the Shiv Sena party.
The Speaker’s decision not only upheld the positions of the MLAs in question but also further solidified Shinde’s authority as Maharashtra’s chief minister, following his 2022 rebellion that ousted Thackeray from power. The ruling also strengthened the ruling BJP-Shinde-Pawar coalition ahead of the 2024 general and state elections.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Shinde-led faction secured seven parliamentary seats, while in the state assembly polls, they won 57 seats. Their ally BJP emerged as the largest party with 132 seats, and the Ajit Pawar-led faction of the NCP bagged 41.
Following the elections, in a significant political reshuffle, BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis returned as Maharashtra’s Chief Minister in December 2024, with Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar appointed as Deputy Chief Ministers.
The upcoming Supreme Court hearing in August is expected to be pivotal, potentially influencing the balance of power within Maharashtra’s political landscape.
