SC to consider listing of Thackeray group's plea against CM Shinde, MLAs

The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to consider listing of a plea of the Uddhav Thackeray faction challenging Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar's order declaring the Shiv Sena bloc led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde as the "real political party" after its split in June 2022.

The speaker had also dismissed the disqualification petitions of the Thackeray faction against CM Shinde and his supporting MLAs.

A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and justices JB Pardiwala and Manoh Misra was urged by senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for UBT leader Sunil Prabhu, that the plea needed to be listed for hearing as even the term of the assembly is nearing its end.

"I will see," the CJI said and asked the senior lawyer to circulate an e-mail to this effect.

On January 22, the top court had issued notices to the chief minister and other lawmakers of his group on the plea of Prabhu, a leader of the Uddhav Thackeray faction.

The Thackeray faction has