The hearing on MLA disqualification petitions will begin on Monday, September 25 in front of Assembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar after the Supreme Court opened a hearing regarding the delay. The format or outline of the hearing is likely to be clarified on the first day. A period of three-four months is expected for the hearing and the schedule will be submitted to the Supreme Court.
Narvekar did nothing beyond issuing notices on MLA disqualification petitions. The Uddhav Thackeray group demands that they should give an immediate decision. In this regard, the Supreme Court had expressed strong displeasure at the delay of the President. It was also ordered to submit the schedule at the next hearing. Petitions have been submitted by both groups against 54 MLAs of Shinde and Thackeray groups. Assuming a day or two for both sides to argue each petition and then a few days for final arguments, the decision will take three to four months. Party chiefs of the Shinde-Thackeray group will also be served with notices to present their arguments and their arguments will also take some time.
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The winter session of the Legislature is in the first week of December and the speaker will not have time for hearings during that time. High-ranking sources said that the hearing schedule is being fixed keeping in mind all these aspects. Narvekar has called the MLAs from both sides on Monday afternoon and the details of the hearing are likely to be announced at that time. The Shiv Sena's Thackeray faction had also alleged that President Narvekar's actions so far were to help Chief Minister Shinde and his supporting MLAs.
What is the case?
After Eknath Shinde's revolt, the Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena immediately applied to the vice president (the then president's position was vacant) to disqualify 16 MLAs from his faction, including Shinde. Subsequently, an application was filed to disqualify all 40 MLAs who supported Shinde. The Shinde group had submitted an application to the President to disqualify 14 MLAs of the Thackeray group except Aditya Thackeray. In this manner, the President wants to take a decision on the disqualification of 54 MLAs.
The Supreme Court, in its verdict on May 11, had ordered that the Assembly Speaker should take a decision on the disqualification. The Thackeray group has objected that President Narvekar has been constantly wasting time for the last four months. In that regard, Chief Justice Dhananjay Chandrachud criticised the President's delay in the petition filed by the Thackeray group in the Supreme Court. It has also been ordered to submit the schedule at the next hearing.
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