New Delhi: Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud on Monday raised concerns regarding Speaker Rahul Narvekar's ruling in the Shiv Sena MLA disqualification case, questioning its consistency with the court's own verdict. The Thackeray group has criticized Narvekar over this matter. Nevertheless, Assembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar firmly asserted that his decision adheres entirely to the norms established by the Supreme Court.
During the case proceedings, the Supreme Court requested the original documents submitted before Rahul Narvekar. The Thackeray group highlighted the Court's stance that the majority within the legislature cannot be equated with the majority within the party organization when determining the original party. Rahul Narvekar emphasized that following a party split, the real party's legislature party is determined by the majority. Chief Justice Chandrachud raised objections to this assertion.
In response to media inquiries, Rahul Narvekar defended his decision, stating:
"My decision is 100 percent in accordance with Supreme Court norms. Had the Supreme Court deemed my decision contradictory to theirs, they would have intervened. My decision strictly adheres to the norms outlined by the Supreme Court. We must focus on specific aspects and not overlook the broader context. The Supreme Court has emphasized the need for a thorough examination of the matter. The Supreme Court has never stated that the Speaker's decision is incorrect," Narvekar asserted.
Meanwhile, Sanjay Raut from Uddhav Thackeray's faction criticized the Speaker's handling of the situation. "The Speaker should have invoked the Anti-Defection Act to disqualify the Shinde faction MLAs. However, Rahul Narvekar disregarded the incident and justified his actions. By determining that the Shiv Sena's Shinde group constitutes the majority within the legislature party, Rahul Narvekar undermined himself. It does not determine whose party holds the majority within the legislature," Raut emphasized, highlighting that the majority in the party's organization depends on who has the genuine majority.