The final hearing in the Shiv Sena party and symbol dispute, which was scheduled to be held in the Supreme Court today, has been postponed by one month. The next hearing will now take place on November 12. The matter was supposed to be heard before the bench headed by Justice Suryakant. However, due to an important hearing related to the Armed Forces, Justice Suryakant was unavailable today. As a result, there was not enough time to take up the Shiv Sena case.
During the brief hearing, Uddhav Thackeray’s counsel requested an early date, citing the upcoming local body elections, while Eknath Shinde’s lawyers sought a date in December. After hearing both sides, the court fixed the next hearing for November 12.
The court also asked senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Uddhav Thackeray, how much time he would require for his final arguments. Sibal responded that 45 minutes would be sufficient.
It was widely expected that the Supreme Court would hold the final hearing and possibly deliver its verdict today. However, due to the Armed Forces case, the matter has been deferred.
Appearing on behalf of Uddhav Thackeray, Kapil Sibal told the court that local body elections in Maharashtra are likely to be held in January 2026, and it is important that the case be heard before that. He requested the court to schedule an early date so that the final arguments could be completed. Meanwhile, Eknath Shinde’s counsel sought to delay the hearing further.
The case concerning the Shiv Sena’s name and symbol is being heard by Justice Suryakant’s bench. The hearing had already been delayed due to the Constitution Bench’s proceedings on the President–Governor dispute between August 19 and September 10.
With local body elections approaching, the Thackeray faction is hoping for an early verdict from the Supreme Court to clarify who holds the rightful claim to the party name and symbol.