Sanjay Raut, the leader of Shiv Sena (UBT), expressed strong criticism on Saturday towards Rahul Narwekar, the Speaker of the Maharashtra Assembly. Raut accused Narwekar of acting in a manner similar to someone offering refuge to a criminal, thus indirectly encouraging further unlawful actions.
This rebuke from Raut came just a day after the Supreme Court issued strong disapproval of Narwekar's prolonged delay in reaching a decision on the disqualification petitions submitted by rebel Shiv Sena MLAs.
In his statement to reporters, Raut questioned Narwekar's understanding of the law, asserting, "The speaker is working like someone giving refuge to a murderer to encourage him to commit more such crimes. Doesn't he know the law?"
The Member of Parliament from Shiv Sena (UBT) remarked on the unprecedented stance taken by the Supreme Court the previous day, where the court had taken a firm stand against the speaker's actions.
Furthermore, Raut did not mince words when he criticized not only the assembly speaker but also the Chief Minister, Eknath Shinde, and his government. He accused them of tarnishing the reputation of Maharashtra.
The protracted delay in adjudicating the disqualification requests concerning Chief Minister Shinde and the Shiv Sena MLAs who remain loyal to him was intensely scrutinized by the Supreme Court on Friday. The Supreme Court firmly reprimanded the assembly speaker, emphasizing that the proceedings should not be a mere "charade," and that he cannot "defeat" the court's directives.
The bench, led by Chief Justice D. Y. Chandrachud and accompanied by Justices J. B. Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, directed Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who represented speaker Rahul Narwekar, to clarify the timeline for resolving the petitions. They stipulated that if they are not content with the response, they would issue an immediate and authoritative order.
The Supreme Court's intention in setting a timeline was to ensure that the hearings on the disqualification proceedings would not be interminably postponed, reiterating the need for a prompt resolution.
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