New Delhi: The Supreme Court said on Thursday that it will decide by August 8 whether to refer to a 5-judge bench constitutional questions regarding MLA disqualification arising from the Maharashtra political crisis caused by the Shiv Sena rebellion, which led to the overthrow of the MVA government led by Uddhav Thackeray.
A bench led by Chief Justice NV Ramana announced that it would decide by Monday whether to send the recent political crisis that erupted in Maharashtra to a constitution bench. The five-judge constitution bench, which also includes justices Krishna Murari and Hima Kohli, the bench stated.
The apex court ordered the Election Commission (EC) to postpone the argument over whether Thackeray or Shinde represented the original Shiv Sena until further orders.
The Uddhav Thackeray camp asserted that a small number of MLAs cannot decide on the fate of the entire party, while the Eknath Shinde group petitioned the EC to be recognised as the legitimate Shiv Sena.
The SC-bench advised the EC, “If the Thackeray group wants time to file a response to its notifications on Shinde’s plea, it should be examined keeping in mind the views expressed by the highest court.”
During the recent political turmoil in Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena and its rebel MLAs filed petitions with the supreme court that raised constitutional concerns about party splits, mergers, defections, and disqualifications.
