Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar has responded to the criticisms surrounding the delay in deciding disqualification pleas against certain Shiv Sena MLAs. He emphasized the importance of adhering to due process, stating that "just like justice delayed is justice denied, justice hurried is justice buried." Narwekar made these comments during his visit to the P20 summit in Delhi.
The disqualification petitions were filed by the Uddhav Thackeray faction of Shiv Sena, aiming to disqualify several MLAs associated with the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's camp. The Shiv Sena experienced a division last year, leading to these petitions.
However, the delay in these disqualification proceedings drew the ire of the Supreme Court. The court, in a recent hearing, criticized the Speaker for the prolonged process and urged for prompt resolution. The bench, led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, emphasized that the Speaker should not be in defiance of the Supreme Court's orders.
Speaking to PTI, Narwekar said, “Just like justice delayed is justice denied, justice hurried is justice buried. I don’t want to delay proceedings. But I don’t want to hurry or jump the gun, which may result in breach of principles of natural justice that could eventually result in miscarriage of justice.” Narwekar asserted he is working as per Assembly rules pertaining to disqualification as well as provisions of the Constitution.
On September 18, the Supreme Court had instructed the Speaker to provide a clear schedule for the resolution of disqualification petitions against Eknath Shinde and other MLAs. The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) has consistently accused Narwekar of prolonging the decision-making process regarding the disqualification requests.