Need to ascertain which development to be termed as 'unconstitutional': Rahul Narwekar

Mumbai: Maharashtra assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar on Tuesday said he needs to ascertain which development is to be treated as "unconstitutional", in reference to the pleas before him seeking disqualification of rebel Shiv Sena MLAs.

The delay in deciding the disqualification petitions against Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Shiv Sena MLAs loyal to him has come under strict scrutiny by the Supreme Court which on Friday came down hard on the state assembly speaker, saying the proceedings cannot be a “charade” and he cannot "defeat" its orders.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Narwekar said, “The stand of the speaker will be presented before the Supreme Court. Soon we will try to ascertain what development is to be termed as illegal or unconstitutional. Then only further steps can be taken." "Once the hearing before the Supreme Court is over, there will be a clearer picture on how to proceed in this matter,” he said.

Asked about Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut's allegations against him in connection with the disqualification pleas, Narwekar said, “I do not wish to respond to his criticism. He does not understand proceedings of the legislative House. His comments against the House can be seen as an attempt to influence the decision of the speaker.” A revolt led by Shinde in June last year led to a split in the Shiv Sena and collapse of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government. The Thackeray faction later filed petitions before the speaker seeking disqualification of several MLAs belonging to the chief minister's camp.

The Supreme Court on Friday asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing speaker Narwekar, to apprise it about the timeline for deciding the petitions on Tuesday, saying it will pass a peremptory order if it is not satisfied.

The idea of laying down the time schedule was not to "indefinitely delay" the hearing on the disqualification proceedings, the court said On September 18, the SC directed the speaker to spell out the time table for adjudication of the disqualification petitions against Shinde and Shiv Sena MLAs owing allegiance to him who had tied-up with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to form a new government in June 2022.

The court had asked the solicitor general to apprise the bench of the time schedule to be fixed by the speaker for deciding the pleas for disqualification of 56 MLAs including lawmakers belonging to the Shinde faction.

The Thackeray faction moved the apex court in July seeking direction to the state assembly speaker to expeditiously adjudicate the disqualification petitions in a time-bound manner.

The plea by Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MLA Sunil Prabhu, who as the chief whip of the undivided Shiv Sena filed the disqualification petitions against Shinde and other MLAs in 2022, had alleged Narwekar was deliberately delaying the adjudication despite the verdict of the apex court.