Watch | Ex- Maha governor Koshyari’s reaction to Shiv Sena crisis verdict: ‘Not my job to…’

Bhagat Singh Koshyari stated that he had stepped down from the governor's position three months ago and preferred not to engage in political tussles.

Former Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari Thursday steered clear of commenting on the Supreme Court verdict on the Shiv Sena crisis earlier in the day. The top court questioned his decision to call for the trust vote that triggered Uddhav Thackeray’s resignation and said he had no reason to conclude the Sena boss had lost the confidence of the House. (Follow LIVE updates here.)

Former Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari.(PTI file)

When questioned about the ruling, Koshyari stated that he had stepped down from the governor's position three months ago and preferred not to engage in political tussles. “The Supreme Court has pronounced its verdict but any comments on it should come from law experts…I don’t know these intricacies…But based on my knowledge about the Assembly affairs, I did what I knew best,” he said.

He further defended his decision and said, “If someone has sent me their resignation, should I have advised them otherwise?” He chose not to offer any remarks regarding the Court's determination that his actions were unjustified in calling Thackeray to prove majority in the Assembly in June last year and said the political analysts were better suited to speak on the matter as it was not his job.

A five-judge constitution bench, headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, delivered a unanimous verdict on a series of petitions on the nearly year-long political crisis in the state which resulted in the fall of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government led by Thackeray after a rebellion led by CM Eknath Shinde in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party. The court held the speaker's decision to appoint Bharat Gogawale of the Shinde faction as the whip of Shiv Sena was 'illegal' but maintained that the Thackeray government cannot be restored as he had resigned as CM on his own.

Following the verdict, the former CM said it reinstated trust in democracy and added that he resigned on moral grounds. He also called on CM Shinde and his deputy Fadnavis to resign after the ruling if they had any ‘ethics’. To this, Fadnavis replied saying Thackeray shouldn't be the one talking about morality since he initially won the election with the BJP but later allied with the Congress. “He resigned on moral grounds but due to fear after those who were with him left him,” he said.