UBT Sena: Speaker must wrap up hearing in 1 mth | Mumbai News – Times of India

MUMBAI : The Shiv Sena (UBT) on Wednesday objected to the almost four-month-long schedule given by Speaker Rahul Narwekar for hearings in the Shiv Sena MLAs’ disqualification case. According to the schedule, the hearings are likely to continue till mid-January 2024. Uddhav Sena MLC Anil Parab said the entire hearing must be completed in a month as it has already been four months since the Supreme Court gave its order after hearing the Sena case for 10 months.
Parab said the Sena (UBT) will urge SC during the hearing on October 3 to issue directions to Narwekar to carry out the hearings quickly.
He said there was no need to hear the petitions individually and to record the evidence of each MLA as the SC had also heard the petitions for disqualification of MLAs together and there were admitted facts in the case. Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray said justice delayed was clearly justice denied, and Parab alleged the
Speaker’s schedule was nothing but a delaying tactic.
Narwekar in his order stated that it was the prerogative of the Speaker to determine the procedure generally to be followed in regard to a disqualification petition which is most suited for the purpose and if it is deemed necessary, evidence ought to be taken and witnesses may be examined, guided by the principles of ordinary law of the land such as the Civil Procedure Code, Criminal Procedure Code, Law of Evidence and the principles of natural justice.
Aaditya said in a post on X, “Maharashtra has been treated unfairly by the BJP that toppled the MVA and foisted an unconstitutional government… While the ball now lies in the court of the Speaker Rahul Narvekar (acting in capacity as a tribunal), it seems that the Speaker is going beyond his means and framework to protect the unconstitutional government by delaytactics. It is sad to see an unconstitutional government supported this way,… The Speaker is scheduled to visit the Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Ghana soon, but on what basis will he represent a state where the government is unconstitutional and protected by illegal means?”
In his order, Narwekar stated that the Uddhav faction’s submission that the present petition has to be decided summarily without leading evidence has to be dismissed.