The Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) on Tuesday filed a petition in the Supreme Court, challenging Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla’s decision to recognize the merger of six of its members in Parliament with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, saying the move has stalled its work in Parliament.
The matter was mentioned for urgent listing before a bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant by senior advocate Devadat Kamat, representing Shiv Sena (UBT) parliamentary party leader Arvind Sawant.
“My work as a political party in Parliament has come to a complete standstill. These MPs are not with me. The Speaker has admitted their merger with another party. This is for the current Parliament session,” Kamat, with the help of advocate Nishanth Patil, submitted to the court, seeking an early hearing.
He also said that this case raises important constitutional questions related to the powers exercised by the Speaker of the House of Representatives. He added: “The Speaker of Parliament acknowledged the merger late on Saturday night. This has brought the party’s parliamentary work to a halt. This concerns an important constitutional position.”
When the court asked about the urgency of the matter, the chief justice said the bench could not immediately set a specific date for the hearing.
“I can’t promise (listing tomorrow or Friday)… we will see,” the CJI told Kamat.
Originally, the Shinde-led Shiv Sena won 7 seats in 2024. But in June, 6 Sena (UBT) members won the Lok Sabha – Sanjay Deshmukh (Yavatmal), Sanjay Jadhav (Bharbhani), Sanjay Dina Patel (North East Mumbai), Nagesh Patel Ashtekar (Hingoli), Umraji Nimbalkar (Dharashiv) and Bhausaheb Wakshwar. (Shirdi) – He joined the Shiv Sena in the presence of party president and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, as Speaker Om Birla approved the merger. All the six MPs have also become parties to the petition filed by Sawant in the Supreme Court.
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The Speaker’s decision was reflected in an internal Lok Sabha circular, issued last week, reviewing the party’s position in the 18th Lok Sabha. It said: “As a result of the change in party affiliation of six members of the Shiv Sena UBT in the Lok Sabha, the revised party position has been included in the 18th Lok Sabha.”
The Sena thus became the largest component of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) from Maharashtra in the House. “The required operation has been completed. All six MPs have joined the Shiv Sena. Operation Tiger has been a success,” Shinde announced at the time.
Following the decision, the strength of the Shinde-led Shiv Sena in Lok Sabha increased from 7 to 13, while the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction was reduced to 3 MPs.
