The Shiv Sena (UBT) lodged an affidavit in the Supreme Court on Tuesday, expressing objection to the meeting between Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and State Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar ahead of the verdict on the Shiv Sena MLAs’ disqualification petitions. Narwekar is set to announce the verdict at 4 pm on January 10.
Addressing the media at Matoshree, his residence in Mumbai, Uddhav Thackeray remarked, “If the judge (Narwekar) is going to meet the accused, what should we expect from that judge? This is the case that will prove whether democracy will survive in the country or not.
This is going to be the deciding factor for democracy in the country.”
Narwekar met Shinde at Varsha, the chief minister’s official residence, on Sunday. A similar meeting between the two in October last year had drawn criticism from the Opposition.
Uddhav raised concerns about the judge meeting the accused, stating, “There is no problem if he met the chief minister otherwise, but he met while the case was going on… They are openly meeting. We request the Supreme Court… this is happening in front of your eyes.”
In the affidavit, the Shiv Sena (UBT) urged the Supreme Court to document Narwekar’s actions. “It is highly improper for the Speaker to meet Eknath Shinde three days before deciding on the disqualification petition. The Speaker is required to act in an impartial manner. However, the present act of the Speaker raises questions about his fairness and impartiality in the decision-making process. The present act of the Speaker is in violation of the legal maxim that justice should not only be done, it should also be seen,” stated the affidavit.
Describing the situation as one where “democracy is being killed,” Uddhav emphasized that the MLAs’ disqualification case had been under Supreme Court scrutiny for two years. “Last April, the Supreme Court had said that the verdict should be delivered in a reasonable time. December 31 was given as the date, but the hearing is going on… we noticed they were wasting time,” alleged Uddhav.