2 weeks ago
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The Supreme Court connected Friday (May 15, 2026) turned livid astatine the “petty politicians” of warring Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde factions of Shiv Sena for accusing the tribunal of delaying a last determination connected their quality implicit the enactment awesome ‘bow and arrow’ portion seeking adjournments each clip the lawsuit came up for hearing.
“Stop your radical from going to the media and making statements that the Supreme Court is not hearing... Why are these petty politicians making these statements?” Chief Justice of India Surya Kant lashed retired erstwhile the parties sought an adjournment.
Chief Justice Kant said helium was not 1 who would enactment up with the slandering of the tribunal by politicians successful the media. “You radical question a day each clip the lawsuit comes up and past you spell to the media and complain,” the justice addressed the lawyers successful the case.
Irresponsible: Rohatgi
Senior advocator Mukul Rohatgi, for the Shinde faction, agreed that specified statements, if made, were “wholly irresponsible”. Senior advocator Devadatt Kamat, for the Thackeray camp, said the lawsuit has been successful tribunal for astir 3 years now, and determination was a batch of anxiousness progressive astir the future, though helium added that arsenic a lawyer helium condemned disparaging comments made successful the media.
“We cognize the unit connected the court. We are wholly with Your Lordships connected this... No litigant tin accidental specified things,” Mr. Rohatgi said.
Mr. Kamat said the tribunal could spare 2 hours for each broadside and decorativeness the proceeding successful 1 day. He urged the Bench to springiness a circumstantial day for last arguments. The tribunal listed the lawsuit connected July 30, aft the summertime vacation.
Pending for years
The quality has been pending for years now, posted from 1 day to the next.
The Thackeray faction has challenged the February 2023 bid of the Election Commission (EC) that has allotted the sanction ‘Shiv Sena’ and its canvass awesome ‘bow and arrow’ to the radical led by Mr. Shinde.
“The symbols ‘bow and arrow’ , ‘saffron-coloured flag’ and the ‘roaring tiger’ are the precise individuality of the archetypal Shiv Sena enactment from 1985... Shiv Sena successful its archetypal signifier has been consistently elected by voters,” Mr. Thackeray’s petition had argued successful the Supreme Court.
The plea by the Thackeray faction has besides questioned the Maharashtra Assembly Speaker’s determination to manus implicit the party’s sanction and awesome to the Shinde faction based connected legislative majority. It argued that the Speaker had erred successful holding that the bulk of the Shiv Sena legislators represented the volition of the Shiv Sena party.
The Speaker’s ruling had further cemented Shinde’s presumption arsenic the past Chief Minister, 18 months aft helium led a rebellion against Mr. Thackeray and added to his governmental heft successful the ruling coalition, which besides comprised the BJP and the NCP (Ajit Pawar group) up of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and the Maharashtra Assembly elections.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha election, the Shinde faction won 7 seats. In the Maharashtra polls, the enactment won 57 seats, the BJP 132 seats, portion the Ajit Pawar-led NCP bagged 41 seats. In December 2024, Devendra Fadnavis was backmost arsenic the Maharashtra Chief Minister with Mr. Shinde and Mr. Pawar arsenic Deputy Chief Ministers.
