The Supreme Court of India is set to announce a crucial verdict on the Shiv Sena mutiny that took place last year, which could lead to the resignation of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and the disbandment of his government. The court will decide whether Mr. Shinde and 15 other MLAs should be disqualified for revolting against then-Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in June last year. Mr. Thackeray had asked the top court to intervene after Mr. Shinde, backed by the opposition BJP, split the Shiv Sena and led most of the MLAs to form a new government.
The Supreme Court will hear the case on a five-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, which will consider eight petitions related to the face-off. Senior lawyers Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi will argue for Uddhav Thackeray’s team in court, while Harish Salve, Neeraj Kaul, and Mahesh Jethmalani will represent Eknath Shinde’s camp.
If Mr. Shinde is disqualified, he will have to resign as Maharashtra Chief Minister, and his government will be disbanded. Whichever side has more numbers in the assembly will then stake claim to a new government. This number is subject to change, depending on whether any MLAs from either side switch allegiances.
Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule has claimed that the ruling Shiv Sena-BJP alliance has 184-plus votes in the 288-member assembly and can prove its majority if needed. However, Arvind Sawant, an MP from Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena, said, “This is a fight to save the constitution and democracy. The law is with us.”
Before the hearings in the case ended in March, the court had asked Mr. Singhvi to explain how Mr. Thackeray’s government could be restored when he had resigned as Chief Minister instead of facing a vote in the assembly. In February, the Election Commission had allotted the Shiv Sena party name and its bow-and-arrow symbol to Mr. Shinde, while Mr. Thackeray’s smaller faction was given the name Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray and the symbol of a flaming torch.
The verdict of the Supreme Court will determine the fate of Maharashtra’s government and Chief Minister, with implications for the state’s political landscape. The decision is eagerly awaited by both sides of the dispute, and its outcome is likely to be closely scrutinized.
