Shiv Sena split: ahead of verdict, Thackeray moves SC against Speaker-CM meet

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on January 9 said his party had filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court objecting to a recent visit by Speaker Rahul Narwekar to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on January 9 said his party had filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court objecting to a recent visit by Speaker Rahul Narwekar to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde before the verdict on disqualification petitions against Mr. Shinde and several MLAs whose rebellion had split the Shiv Sena in June 2022.

Mr. Narwekar is expected to pronounce the judgment in the Assembly after 4 p.m. on January 10.

“Since the Supreme Court’s direction to the Speaker to give a judgment on the disqualification case, Mr. Narwekar has met CM Shinde twice in private. It is like the judge meeting the accused. If he is doing that, then there is a serious question over the kind of justice we can expect,” said Mr. Thackeray. The Speaker met Mr. Shinde on January 7.

Sena vs Sena: Ahead of verdict, Thackeray chastises Speaker Narwekar’s private visit to CM Shinde

In response, Mr. Narwekar said the Shiv Sena (UBT) chief had levelled the allegations to “put pressure on the decision-making process” and that his meeting with the CM had been scheduled earlier.

“I am going to take a decision by which the people of the State will get justice,” he added.

Speaking to mediapersons at his residence ‘Matoshree’ in Mumbai, Mr. Thackeray accused the Speaker of procrastination and said the Speaker could drag the reading of the verdict in a bid to seek a further extension in the case.