Supreme Court may decide fate of Eknath Shinde regime today

On Monday, the SC may hear petitions pertaining to the issue of the trust vote, appointment of the chief whip in the assembly by the newly-elected speaker Rahul Narwekar, and the disqualification pleas against 16 rebel Sena MLAs.

The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday may hear a clutch of petitions related to the turn of political events in Maharashtra, which may eventually decide the fate of the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis regime. The expansion of the state cabinet is expected to take place once the apex court gives its judgment on these issues.

Eknath Shinde HT Archives

Meanwhile, the state legislature secretariat has issued notices to 53 of the 55 Sena legislators from the Shinde faction and the group loyal to former chief minister and party president Uddhav Thackeray. The two camps have charged each other with violating the whip issued by the party during the election to the speaker’s post and the vote of confidence on the Shinde regime. However, chief minister Shinde and former environment minister and Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray have been exempted from this action. The legislators will be asked to respond to the allegations.

On Monday, the SC may hear petitions pertaining to the issue of the trust vote, appointment of the chief whip in the assembly by the newly-elected speaker Rahul Narwekar, and the disqualification pleas against 16 rebel Sena MLAs.

Sunil Prabhu, who belongs to the Thackeray camp, had approached the SC challenging the speaker’s decision to appoint Bharat Gogawale of the Shinde camp as the chief whip of Sena in the assembly. He has also moved a petition seeking the suspension of 16 rebel MLAs against whom disqualification pleas are pending.

On Friday, the Thackeray group contested the decision of Governor B S Koshyari to swear in Shinde as the chief minister. Shinde and his men have also challenged the notices for their disqualification issued to 16 of them by deputy speaker Narhari Zirwal on June 25. On June 27, the SC gave the Sena rebels time till July 12 to reply to the disqualification notices. These petitions may be heard together on Monday.

“We are hopeful… as we form two-thirds [of the legislature party] as mandated by [the anti-defection] law,” Gogawale said, adding that the expansion of the Shinde cabinet would take place after the SC’s verdict.

“Tomorrow [Monday] is an important day… I am sure that our faith in the Goddess of justice will be upheld,” said Aaditya.

The Sena rebels have said that they have not sought disqualification proceedings against Aaditya, who represents Worli in the assembly, as he is the grandson of late Sena supremo Bal Thackeray.

“These notices [issued by the legislature secretariat] are illegal. The whip issued by Sena and Prabhu stands,” he added. “There is no need to show such special love for me. If this was the case, why did they stab my father and us in the back?” asked Aaditya.

Speaker Narwekar confirmed that the notices had been issued by the Maharashtra legislature secretariat to the Sena legislators. “The notices have been issued as per the due process. Hearings will be conducted and decisions will be taken based on merit… [the time given to the legislators to reply is] as per the seven days mandatory period,” he said.

Sources in the legislature said they expected Narwekar to hear these petitions. “As per Article 212 of the Constitution, the courts do not intervene in the procedural aspects of the legislature in ordinary circumstances,” they said.

After Shinde, who was the urban development minister in the Thackeray regime, launched his operation to topple the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) regime, the 39 party legislators loyal to him replaced Prabhu, who belongs to the Thackeray camp, with Gogawale as the chief whip.

Gogawale issued a whip or directive to MLAs to vote for Narwekar as the speaker in the elections held on July 2, while Prabhu’s whip supported Rajan Salvi of the Sena. The next day, Gogawale’s whip called for the Shinde government to be supported on the floor test, while Prabhu sought that Sena’s legislators vote against it.

Sena has 55 MLAs (one seat is vacant due to the demise of a legislator) and while Shinde has the support of 39, the other 15 are with Thackeray.