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SC to hear Uddhav camp’s petition against speaker’s call on party whip
A vacation bench comprising Justices Indira Banerjee and J K Maheshwari said the fresh plea would be heard by the same bench after the summer break along with other pending pleas.
The Supreme Court Monday agreed to hear on July 11 a fresh plea of the Uddhav Thackeray faction challenging the decision of the newly-elected Speaker of the Maharashtra legislative assembly to recognise the new party whip of Shiv Sena rebels led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
A vacation bench comprising Justices Indira Banerjee and J K Maheshwari said the fresh plea would be heard by the same bench after the summer break along with other pending pleas.
Senior advocate AM Singhvi, appearing for the Thackeray group, said: “The speaker has no jurisdiction to recognise whips. This is changing the status quo of proceedings before this court. The speaker yesterday at the stroke of the pen at midnight elected the whip.”
Also read: Whereabouts of Uddhav’s ‘missing’ right-hand man sets tongues wagging
Justice Banerjee said: “I do not have the papers in front of me. Let all of this come up together on July 11.”
The fresh plea challenging the Speaker’s decision has been filed by chief whip Sunil Prabhu of the Shiv Sena faction led by former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray.
Also read: Setback for Uddhav Thackeray as another Sena MLA joins Eknath Shinde camp
Earlier on July 1, the Supreme Court had agreed to hear on July 11 the plea of Sunil Prabhu seeking suspension from the assembly of the Shinde and 15 rebel MLAs against whom disqualification pleas are pending.
