Mumbai: Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has moved to the Bombay High Court against the Maharashtra Assembly Speaker’s decision not disqualifying the 14 MLAs of the Shiv Sena (UBT)-led by Uddhav Thackeray. The ruling party has challenged the speaker’s decision in the high court.

The chief whip of the ruling Shiv Sena, Bharat Gogavale filed the petitions before the court on January 12, against the 14 MLAs of the opposition party. He said that they were challenging the legality, propriety and correctness of the January 10 order passed by Speaker Rahul Narwekar.

Speaker had dismissed disqualification petitions of both sides

Earlier, while observing the matter over demand for the disqualification of the Shiv Sena (UBT) MLAs, the speaker had dismissed the disqualification petitions submitted by the ruling party against the rival party’s MLAs.

Gogavale maintained in his petition that the Thackeray group MLAs not only violated the whip but also voluntarily gave up the membership of the Shiv Sena political party by their acts and omissions following a split in June 2022.

In the pleas, it was also claimed that the speaker failed to consider that along with giving up the membership, the Shiv Sena (UBT) members also voted against the Shiv Sena-led government in cahoots with the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), thereby seeking to topple the ruling dispensation.

The matter will be reportedly taken on January 22 in the high court.

Thackeray faction moves to Supreme Court

Meanwhile, in a retorting move, the Thackeray faction has on Monday moved to the Supreme Court filing a petition challenging the Speaker's order declaring the Shiv Sena group led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde as the real political party.

The Maharashtra Speaker had also rejected the Thackeray faction's plea to disqualify 16 MLAs of the ruling camp, including the chief minister.