Maharashtra Speaker Rahul Narwekar has told NDTV there will be "no delay" in ruling on petitions seeking disqualification of 56 lawmakers in the fight between the Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde factions of the Shiv Sena. His comments come three days after the Supreme Court rapped him for failing to follow its May 11 order - that he rule on the petitions within a "reasonable time".
The court had given Mr Narwekar one week to begin hearing the petitions.
"There will be no delay in hearing MLA disqualification petitions. The legal process (to decide these petitions) will take place as per rules. It is not possible to say how much time it will take to disqualify the MLAs. But whatever will be done will as per rules," he told NDTV today.
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However, Rahul Narwekar - a BJP lawmaker from Mumbai's Coloba constituency - also dismissed as "absurd" claims he plans to send notices to Mr Thackeray and Mr Shinde to present their arguments.
On his forthcoming trip to Delhi, the Speaker told NDTV it is "pre-arranged tour".
On Tuesday, Mr Narwekar had said, "The decision will be taken in a reasonable time."
The day before, an irate Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud came down hard on Mr Narwekar. The court reminded the Speaker it had been nearly five months since he had been told to get on with the business of ruling on the clutch of disqualification petitions.
The court told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta - appearing for Mr Narwekar - "Mr SG, he has to decide. He can't do this. What did the Speaker do after the May 11 judgement by (this) court?"
The court also sought a proposed timeline of the hearing from Mr Narwekar and reminded him the office of the Speaker of the Maharashtra Assembly had to follow the dignity of the Supreme Court.
The court then listed the matter for its hearing in two weeks' time.
The petitions have been pending since the Maharashtra political crisis last year, which led to the fall of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government - an alliance of the then-unbroken Shiv Sena, the Congress and the NCP. Uddhav Thackeray was Chief Minister but he resigned shortly before a floor test called after Eknath Shinde, now the Chief Minister, led a revolt and Sena lawmakers to the BJP.
The notices were issued by Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal in the absence of the Speaker.
On May 11, a five-judge Constitution bench held it could not disqualify the Shinde-led government and reinstate Mr Thackeray as he had chosen to resign instead of facing the test.
