SC to consider urgent listing of Sharad Pawar's plea against EC decision on real NCP

Supreme Court of India. File Pic

The Supreme Court on Friday said it will consider for early listing a plea of Sharad Pawar challenging an Election Commission order recognising the Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar-led faction as the real Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), reported news agency PTI.

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud took note of the submissions of senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for the veteran leader, that the plea needed urgent listing in view of a recent order of the Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar, reported PTI.

Narwekar held that the NCP faction led by Ajit Pawar was the real NCP and that the anti-defection provisions in the Constitution cannot be used to stifle internal dissent, reported PTI.

Prior to this, the poll panel announced on February 6 that the Ajit Pawar faction is the real NCP and also allotted the party's 'clock' symbol to the group.

"Now the Sharad Pawar group will be under the party whip when the assembly starts functioning... our case is worse than Uddhav Thackeray as we have not been allotted any alternate poll symbol," Singhvi said, seeking urgent listing of the plea on February 19, reported PTI.

"I will just see," the CJI said, reported PTI.

The plea was filed by Sharad Pawar in his personal capacity through lawyer Abhishek Jebaraj on Monday evening.

Prior to him, the Ajit Pawar faction had filed a caveat in the Supreme Court through advocate Abhikalp Pratap Singh to ensure that no ex-parte order is passed in favour of the Sharad Pawar group if the latter moves the top court.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had extended the time till February 15 for the Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar to pass the final order on the plea of Sharad Pawar faction seeking disqualification against rebel MLAs led by Ajit Pawar.

On February 6, the Election Commission, while applying the test of majority in the legislative wing, ruled that Ajit Pawar's faction was the real NCP and permitted the faction to use the 'clock' symbol for the party.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar backed his decision to declare the Deputy CM Ajit Pawar-led faction as the real NCP on Thursday by saying that no stand in the decision is "unconstitutional" or "arbitrary", reported ANI.

(With inputs from ANI)