Mumbai: The Supreme Court on Wednesday postponed the crucial hearing on the long-running dispute over the Shiv Sena party name and its iconic bow-and-arrow election symbol to Friday, January 23, a date that coincides with the 100th birth anniversary of the party’s founder, the late Balasaheb Thackeray. The matter was originally scheduled to be heard yesterday.
During the previous hearing, the apex court had indicated that the final hearing would take place on January 21 at 11 am. However, the schedule was revised after the Solicitor General informed the court that he was required to appear in another matter. Taking into account submissions from both sides, the bench decided to defer the hearing. The case will now be taken up on Friday at 11 am.
Earlier in the day, senior advocate Asim Sarode, appearing for the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena UBT, was informed that the hearing was unlikely to proceed on Wednesday. He was told that Chief Justice Suryakant would be engaged in regular court proceedings only until 1 pm, after which he would sit with Justice Joymala Bagchi to hear a matter related to the Aravalli mountain range before a special bench.
Uddhav's Lawyer Disappointed By Delay
Speaking to reporters, Sarode expressed disappointment over the delay. “The Supreme Court was expected to deliver a verdict today. Even after three and a half years, we are only being given dates,” he said. He added that the hearing scheduled for January 23 could also see the pronouncement of a verdict. Sarode described the issue as one of wider political consequence, warning that the trend of party splits could eventually affect even the BJP. “This verdict is extremely important to bring clarity,” he said, as quoted by IANS.
Sarode further claimed that there was a strong possibility of the bow-and-arrow symbol being restored to the Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, adding that the option of freezing the symbol appeared to have been ruled out.
The dispute traces its origins to June 2022, when Eknath Shinde, now Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister, rebelled against then Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray along with around 40 Shiv Sena MLAs. The rebellion led to the fall of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government and the formation of a new alliance with the BJP. Shinde’s faction argued that Uddhav Thackeray’s alliance with the Congress and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP amounted to a departure from Shiv Sena’s core ideology.
EC Recognised Shinde Sena As 'Real Shiv Sena'
In February 2023, the Election Commission recognised the Shinde-led faction as the 'real Shiv Sena' and allotted it the party name and bow-and-arrow symbol, citing its numerical strength in the state legislature. This decision dealt a severe blow to the Uddhav-led faction, which was forced to contest elections as Shiv Sena UBT with a new ‘burning torch’ symbol.
Uddhav Thackeray later challenged the Election Commission’s order in the Supreme Court, arguing that the decision was premature as disqualification proceedings against rebel MLAs were still pending and that his faction retained control over the party organisation.
Beyond legal technicalities, the case carries deep symbolic weight, as it will determine which faction inherits the political legacy of Balasaheb Thackeray, a question made more poignant by the hearing being scheduled on his centenary birth anniversary.
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