MLAs disqualification row | Ahead of hearing in Supreme Court, Maharashtra Speaker Narwekar heads to Delhi

Mumbai Speaker Rahul Narwekar left for New Delhi to attend meetings, incl. one with SG Tushar Mehta. SC granted him a final opportunity to decide cross-petitions filed by rival Shiv Sena factions.

Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar on October 29 left for New Delhi where he is scheduled to attend a couple of meetings, including one with Solicitor General Tushar Mehta.

Notably, the Supreme Court on October 17 granted Mr. Narwekar a final opportunity to give it a realistic time-frame for deciding the cross-petitions filed by rival factions of the Shiv Sena seeking disqualification of each other’s MLAs following a split in the party.

The Supreme Court said the disqualification petitions have to be adjudicated expeditiously and posted the matter for hearing on October 30.

Speaking to reporters at the Mumbai airport on October 29 while leaving for the national capital, Mr. Narwekar said, “There are a couple of meetings scheduled in Delhi, including one with the Solicitor General [SG]. It is a scheduled visit to Delhi.” The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on October 30 pleas filed by the Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena and the Sharad Pawar bloc of the NCP, seeking a direction to Mr. Narwekar to expeditiously decide disqualification petitions against some MLAs.

Asked about it, Mr. Narwekar said, “I will take legal advice and then decide over it.” To a query on notices to NCP MLAs over the disqualification petitions, the Speaker said, “It was part of the procedure. I issued the notices after scrutiny of the submitted disqualification petitions was over.” On October 17, an apex court Bench headed by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud said, “We are not satisfied with the time schedule. SG has apprised that during Dussehra breaks he would personally engage with the Speaker so as to indicate a firm set of modalities,” The Supreme Court had earlier come down hard on the Speaker over the delay in deciding the pleas filed by the Uddhav Thackeray faction for disqualification of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and several MLAs loyal to him, saying the Speaker cannot defeat the orders of the top court.

Similar disqualification petitions have also been filed by the Shinde bloc against lawmakers owing allegiance to Mr. Thackeray.

On September 18, the Supreme Court directed the Speaker to spell out the timeline for adjudication of the disqualification petitions against Mr. Shinde and Shiv Sena MLAs owing allegiance to him who had tied up with the BJP to form a new government in June 2022.