New Delhi: Ahead of the hearing in the Supreme Court on Tuesday, Sharad Pawar has filed a fresh affidavit emphasising that Ajit Pawar faction of NCP should not be allowed to use the 'clock' symbol till final adjudication of the dispute by the apex court.
In the affidavit, Sharad Pawar said that there was an “attempt to engineer confusion in the minds of the electorate in connection with the ‘clock’ symbol and unduly benefit from the goodwill associated with it, whilst the captioned matter is sub-judice”.
Sharad Pawar sought permission of the apex court to file documents, which are relevant for proper appreciation of the facts of the present case as it establishes the ongoing and blatant non-compliance of the directions of the apex court by Ajit Pawar faction till date.
He sought permission to bring on record “six documents relevant for adjudication of the symbol dispute” and also to prove his claim that Ajit Pawar indulged in violation of disclaimer condition. Ajit Pawar was asked by the apex court to specify in campaign advertisement materials that the symbol issue is sub-judice.
“The said documents i.e., annexure A-1 to A-6 mentioned hereinabove, are part of the record and germane to the issue and vital for proper adjudication of the present case. The same are contemporaneous evidence of the non-compliance of the order dated March 19, 2024 and April 4, 2024 by the respondent No. 1 (Ajit Pawar) till date…”, said the affidavit.
Senior Advocate Balbir Singh, advocates Siddharth Dharmadhikari, Abhikalp Pratap Singh, appeared for Ajit Pawar. Sharad Pawar was represented by senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi.
Earlier, Ajit Pawar had filed a compliance affidavit in the apex court. Pawar has informed the apex court that he has published disclaimers in newspapers, published in seven Marathi, two Hindi and two English papers. Ajit Pawar claimed that Sharad Pawar was only trying to mislead the court when he was following the directions.
On November 13, the Supreme Court had asked Ajit Pawar NCP faction to desist from the using the photos or videos of Sharad Pawar in their campaign materials for the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections, saying he should stand on his feet, and issue an electronic circular among candidates and office bearers to not use the video clip or photograph of Sharad Pawar. “You confine on your own identity as a separate and distinct political party”, the apex court told the Ajit Pawar faction.
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