Maharashtra speaker should be directed to decide on disqualification pleas of Shiv Sena and NCP in specific timeframe: Sharad Pawar

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) President Sharad Pawar requested the Supreme Court to issue directives to Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar to decide on the disqualification pleas of Shiv Sena and NCP MLAs within a specific timeframe.

He said there was a delay on the part of the speaker in taking decision on the pleas, and that was why the NCP also approached the apex court. Directions should be (given) that the decision should be taken in a specific timeframe and it cannot be delayed. The same stand was of the Shiv Sena, Pawar said in response to a question after the Supreme Court’s observations.

The Supreme Court on Friday came down hard on the Maharashtra assembly speaker for the delay in deciding the plea for disqualification of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and several MLAs, saying the speaker cannot defeat the orders of the top court.

Somebody has to advise the Speaker that he cannot defeat the orders of the Supreme Court, a bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud said and asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to apprise the court about the timeline for deciding the issue. A visibly irked CJI said a decision on disqualification pleas has to be taken before the next assembly elections or the whole process will become infructuous. The bench said if it is not satisfied with the timeline of the Speaker then it would direct that the decision be taken within two months.