Maharashtra Assembly speaker’s decision to appoint Gogawale as whip of Shiv Sena party was illegal, says SC

The Supreme Court on May 11 observed that Maharashtra Assembly Speaker’s decision to appoint Bharat Gogawale (backed by Shinde group) as the whip of the Shiv Sena party was illegal.

The top court further stated that the Election Commission of India can decide under the symbols order despite the pendency of proceedings before the Speaker. “To hold that the ECI is barred from deciding symbols will be like staying proceedings indefinitely”, added the Court.

The Supreme Court will also decide whether Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde and 15 other MLAs should be disqualified for revolting against then Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in June 2022.

While speaking on the role of the Governor, the Supreme Court said that the Governor is not entitled to enter the political arena and play a role in intra-party to inter-party disputes. 

The top court also added that the Governor cannot act upon on inference and ought not to rely on the letter which states that former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray has lost the majority.

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