Shiv Sena (UBT) moves SC for speedy adjudication of disqualification pleas against Eknath Shinde, his loyal MLAs

livemint.com:

Maharashtra assembly speaker to expeditiously adjudicate the disqualification petitions filed against chief minister Eknath Shinde and other Sena MLAs. Sunil Prabhu as chief whip of the undivided Shiv Sena in 2022 had filed the disqualification petitions against Shinde and other MLAs.

The plea has alleged that speaker Rahul Narwekar is deliberately delaying the adjudication despite the May 11 verdict of the apex court. "The petitioner is constrained to invoke the extraordinary jurisdiction of this court under Article 32 of the Constitution of India, in light of the respondent Speaker's conduct in choosing to deliberately delay the adjudication of the disqualification petitions filed by the Petitioner against the delinquent members of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly," the plea filed through advocate Nishanth Patil and Amit Anand Tiwari said.

The plea said the speaker, despite the categorical direction of the top court in its May 11 judgment that the pending disqualification petitions must be decided within a reasonable period, has chosen to not conduct a single hearing. "The petitioner has also sent more than three subsequent representations dated May 15, 2023, May 23, 2023 and June 2, 2023 to convene a hearing in the said disqualification matters, however, the respondent Speaker in brazen disregard to his constitutional duties as a neutral arbiter, has sought to delay the adjudications of the disqualification petitions, thereby, permitting the illegal continuance of Eknath Shinde as Chief Minister, against whom the disqualification petitions are pending," it said.