Mumbai: In a dramatic move, Shiv Sena (UBT) moved the Supreme Court (SC) against the Lok Sabha Speaker for approving the merger of its six MPs with the Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday.
Urgent hearing sought
Senior advocate Devadatt Kamat, representing Shiv Sena (UBT), presented the matter before a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M. Pancholi, seeking an urgent hearing on Wednesday.
Presenting his side, Kamat said, "The Speaker has recognised the merger (of six MPs)." He further added that this has become a national phenomenon as MPs are merging with those against whom they had contested and won the elections, reported The New Indian Express.
Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant reaction
Reacting to the decision to seek SC intervention into the matter, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant said, "I had said the day before yesterday as well that this is not legal. First of all, who has signed the document? That person will decide. In the consequent order, it is not even stated that the Speaker has said so. It is also not being said that it is on the directives of the Speaker."
Further questioning the credibility of the merger, he said, "Who are you to decide this? And the allegation regarding affiliation that word itself does not exist. It has to be a merger. What is the exact term? You people should find it. These are attempts to trap us. This is wrong and against the Constitution, and we have raised that issue."
Speaker approves merger
Meanwhile, the Lok Sabha Speaker approved the merger of six rebel Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs into the Shiv Sena fold led by Eknath Shinde, formally validating their switch under the anti-defection law on Saturday.
The decision came nearly a month after the MPs decided to shift their support from Shiv Sena (UBT) to the Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde. Their switch has increased the strength of the Shiv Sena in the Lok Sabha to 13.
The six MPs who joined the Shinde camp are Omraje Nimbalkar (Dharashiv), Nagesh Patil Ashtikar (Hingoli), Sanjay Jadhav (Parbhani), Sanjay Deshmukh (Yavatmal-Washim), Bhausaheb Wakchaure (Shirdi) and Sanjay Dina Patil (Mumbai North East).
Matter reaches Supreme Court
Following the decision of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena to seek the intervention of the apex court in the matter, further details are awaited.
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