Disqualification pleas: Hearing procedure hastened as Supreme Court's deadline of Dec 31 approaches

CM Eknath Shinde. File Pic

As the Supreme Court's December 31 deadline for the disqualification of 16 Shiv Sena MLAs approaches, the hearing process has been accelerated, with Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA and party's chief whip in the legislative Assembly Sunil Prabhu being cross-examined for the second day in a row in connection with the disqualification pleas on Wednesday, reported the ANI.

The Supreme Court last month directed Maharashtra assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar to give the judgment on disqualification of rebel Sena MLAs by December 31.

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The apex court had come down hard on the speaker over the delay in deciding the pleas filed by former Maharashtra CM and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray faction for disqualification of Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde and several MLAs loyal to him, saying the speaker cannot defeat the orders of the top court.

According to the ANI, Sunil Prabhu was cross-examined by the lawyer representing Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena on Wednesday during the hearing of Sena MLAs' disqualification pleas.

During the cross-examination, CM Eknath Shinde-led Sena's lawyer Mahesh Jethmalaani questioned Prabhu about the whip he claimed to have issued last year on June 21 when a group of MLAs led by Shinde launched a rebellion against Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena and went to Surat and Goa.

After the hearing, Jethmalani while speaking to the reporters alleged that the whole case is based on the claim of whip issued by the Sena UBT but no such whip was issued and the whip the Sena UBT is claiming to have issued is a forged one.

"Uddhav Thackeray Faction's whole disqualification petition is based on a whip issued on June 21 by Sunil Prabhu. We have formed the ground after cross-examination; this is prima facie a forged whip, and it was never sent," he said, according to the PTI.

Last year, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde broke away from the undivided Shiv Sena along with several Shiv Sena MLAs and later joined hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to form the government in state. The move had toppled the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government.

The Eknath Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena claimed to be the 'real' Shiv Sena party and also claimed that the party's name and the symbol which was subsequently granted to the rebel group by the Election Commission.

However, a total of 56 rebel MLAs are facing disqualification proceedings under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution pending before Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar.

(with ANI inputs)