Shiv Sena MLAs file tempo-load of replies to disqualification notices

The 40 MLAs of the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde have filed separate replies running into thousands of pages to the disqualification notice issued by Maharashtra Speaker Rahul NarwekarSena MLA and party spokesperson Sanjay Shirsat said each MLA has filed a reply of 6000 to 6500 pagesIt is not a joint statement Every MLA has filed a separate reply of 6000 to 6500 pages he told PTI on ThursdayShirsat was one of the 16 MLAs against whom disqualification notices were initially issued after they rebelled against Uddhav Thackeray then chief minister and head of the undivided Sena in June 2022 The Thackeray group had approached the Speaker with a petition seeking to disqualify themThe replies were sent in a tempo Shirsat addedWhen contacted Sena MLAs Sada Sarvankar and Balaji Kinikar said they were not aware about the length of the repliesThe legal team of the party is looking into it said Kinikar who is the party treasurerYogesh Kadam another party MLA who was not among the 16 MLAs who were initially issued disqualification notices said the document runs into 6000 to 6500 pages The replies they have sent are different from those furnished by the 16 MLAs he addedState minister and Shinde faction leader Deepak Kesarkar told reporters that a long reply does not mean we are wasting the time of the speaker and assemblyIf the annexure to the reply is big the number of pages goes up he said denying that sending lengthy replies was a deliberate attempt to waste timeSpeaker Rahul Narwekar meanwhile told reporters that the hearing on the disqualification petition will start soonI can assure you that there will not be any delay in the process The other processes are being completed We will follow all the rules and make appropriate decision he addedThe Supreme Court on July 14 had issued a notice to the office of the speaker on a plea by the Thackerayled Shiv Sena seeking a direction to expeditiously adjudicate the disqualification petitionsThe apex court in its May 11 judgment on petitions regarding the split in the Shiv Sena and collapse of the Thackerayled government had said that the pending disqualification petitions must be decided within a reasonable periodThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever