Mumbai: The battle over the control of the Shiv Sena intensifies as the Eknath Shinde faction challenges the Speaker's dismissal of their petition seeking disqualification of 14 dissident MLAs loyal to Uddhav Thackeray. The Bombay High Court issued notices to the Thackeray MLAs, directing them to respond by February 8th.
Previously, Speaker Rahul Narwekar rejected the disqualification petition, ruling both Shinde and Thackeray factions' MLAs as eligible. This verdict drew ire from the Thackeray camp, while Shinde's side sought legal recourse.
Bharat Gogawale, an MLA from the Shinde faction, filed the petition arguing that since the Speaker recognized their group as the "real Shiv Sena," the Thackeray MLAs were bound by their whip. He demanded the disqualification of 14 MLAs who defied the whip. Notably, Aditya Thackeray and Rituja Latke were excluded from the petition.
Justice Girish Kulkarni and Justice Firoze M. Rivwala's bench heard the case and issued the notices. This fresh legal tussle adds another layer of complexity to the ongoing rift within the Shiv Sena.