'Decide Disqualification Petitions against Ajit Pawar Group by Feb 15': SC to Maha Speaker

A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court led by Chief Justice of India has directed Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar to pass final orders by February 15 in the case related to disqualification of MLAs of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

New Delhi:The Supreme Court Monday asked Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar to pass final orders by February 15, in the case related to the disqualification of MLAs from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Earlier, the top court had set the January 31 deadline for the Speaker to decide the matter.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Speaker, submitted before a three-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud that the Speaker was occupied with deciding the disqualification petitions filed over the Shiv Sena rift.

Mehta said that the Speaker is not in a position to comply with the court’s deadline, and stressed that he needs three more weeks to dictate the order. The bench, also comprising Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, extended the time till February 15, 2024.

In October, last year, the top court had directed the Speaker to decide as per the tenth schedule of the Constitution by January 31, 2024.

The Nationalist Congress Party, Sharad Pawar faction, moved the top court seeking a direction to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Speaker to expeditiously decide their petitions seeking disqualification of rebel MLAs led by Ajit Pawar under the anti-defection law.

The issue arose when MLAs led by Ajit Pawar and former Union Minister Praful Patel broke ranks with NCP supremo Sharad Pawar and joined hands with the BJP and Shiv Sena government led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.