New Delhi, Feb 16 (UNI) NCP leader Sharad Pawar on Friday requested the Supreme Court to give an urgent hearing to his pending petition (Sharad Pawar vs Ajit Pawar dispute) as there is a likelihood of a whip being issued against him by his rival Ajit Pawar faction.
The Supreme Court assured Sharad Pawar, that it will give an urgent hearing to his petition challenging the decision of the Election Commission of India (ECI) which recognized Ajit Pawar’s Faction as the real Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
Senior Advocate Dr Abhishek Manu Singhvi appearing on behalf of Sharad Pawar said, “It is a matter of extreme urgency. Because of the election commission order, Sharad Pawar will be subject to the whip of Ajit Pawar. The session in Maharashtra starts next week. We have not been given any symbol at all.”
Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud replied, “We will look into it, let me see. We will list it.”
‘It will be a strange situation, because of the ECI order, Sharad Pawar will be subject to the whip of Ajit Pawar when the Assembly starts next week, Dr. Singhvi told the court. That order is under challenge, it is identical to the questions of law raised in the other matter (UBT-Shinde dispute)….please list it on Monday or Tuesday, because the session in Maharashtra starts at the end of the week on the 20th. They have not given me any symbol at all, it is worse than the Uddhav Thackeray Case.”
The bench comprising CJI DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra agreed to list the matter at the earliest.
Sharad Pawar filed a Petition in the Supreme Court on February 13, challenging the order passed by the ECI on February 6 by which the official ‘clock’ symbol of NCP was allotted to the Ajit Pawar group.
The decision of the ECI to allot the symbol to the Ajit Pawar group was taken on the criterion of “legislative majority,” acknowledging that the Ajit Pawar faction possesses the majority of legislators with 51 out of 81.
