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How many times did Parliament discuss conduct of Speaker, SC asks Uddhav faction

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 The Supreme Court on Tuesday shot a volley of questions at the Uddhav Thackeray faction, asking how many times did the Parliament discuss a review of the conduct of the Speaker, why is that question raised before the court, and also, why should the court change rules just because one or two Speakers went astray.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the Uddhav Thackeray faction, submitted before a five-judge constitution bench, headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud, that “your lordships have great confidence in the constitutional office of the Speaker but do they discharge this confidence?”

At this, the Chief Justice replied: “You also have that confidence when you say that the Speaker has to decide the disqualification petitions… that is not dependent on who is the Speaker, Mr Sibal”. He added that the constitutional authority of the Speaker to decide is not based on who the Speaker is.

Sibal said the a Speaker who appoints the whip and Leader of the Opposition without reference to the political party, “you think he can decide in my favour, there is no way!”

The Chief Justice said: “The first Speaker in defiance of legislative rules gave two days’ notice… this is the way everybody is behaving. There are two options: either you debunk the authority of the Speaker or.. in a democracy you value the office of the institution… denigrating constitutional offices including the office of the Speaker.”

When Sibal said they are denigrating themselves, the bench — also comprising Justices M.R. Shah, Krishna Murari, Hima Kohli and P.S. Narasimha — said: “It is a race to the bottom then.”

Justice Narasimha told Sibal: “Legislators, parliamentarians…. decided upon the Speaker to be the tribunal.. it is parliamentarians’ decision, the Tenth Schedule. Therefore, the court is only interpreting that…”

Sibal referred to the decision of the apex court on 27 June last year, where the court granted interim relief to Shinde faction by extending the time to file responses to the disqualification notices. It later, on June 29, gave the go-ahead to a floor test called by the Governor.

Justice Narasimha orally observed: “On one hand if the Speaker is with you, you would say it is a constitutional authority. What is wrong with it… if you have some difficulty, you mean, not you. Look at the way Speakers have behaved. For us, as long as the constitution bench judgment is there, we will go by the fact that the Speaker is the tribunal.”

The bench further added that the Speaker is the presiding officer as per Tenth Schedule and “we will not go back on the decision, that is the final decision, as far as we are concerned”.

Sibal replied by that logic, the June 27 order could not have been passed, and that is what led to what way we are today.

Justice Kohli said that if one or two Speakers have gone astray, would the court be inclined to debunk the whole procedure as laid down and the Tenth Schedule?

To this, Sibal said: My intention is not that, I have been telling what is happening.” Justice Kohli said then it is a conundrum. Sibal said: “Yes, it is a conundrum, a constitutional conundrum and somebody has to sort it out.”

At this juncture, justice Narasimha said: “Another question, every time this question is raised before the court. I would want to ask you how many times did the parliamentarians raise this question in the Parliament saying let us actually amend the Constitution.”

“How many times did the discussion take place in the Parliament to review the conduct of the Speaker. Why is that question raised before the court, which is not a forum for consideration. how many times parties have sat down together and decided this is not working?” he asked.

“Once Kihoto Hollohan was rendered then,” Sibal said referring to the apex court verdict in the 1992 case, upholding the sweeping discretion available to the Speaker in deciding cases of disqualification of MLAs.

Justice Narasimha replied: “Why, it only upheld the Tenth Schedule. It is your making, the Tenth Schedule. This will take us nowhere, Mr Sibal. Frankly, unless there is an amendment to the Constitution, there is a reference, a direct challenge…”

The top court made these observations while dealing with Maharashtra political crisis triggered due to rebellion in the Shiv Sena. It will continue to hear the matter on Wednesday.

On February 17, the apex court had declined to make immediate reference to a seven-judge bench the reconsideration of its 2016 Nabam Rebia judgment, which restricted the power of the Speaker to examine disqualification petitions against MLAs if a resolution for his removal is pending.

A five-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India said the issue of reference will be decided only with the merits of the case and fixed the matter for hearing on merits on February 21.

Entertainment

Bigg Boss fame Ajaz Khan polls fewer votes than even NOTA in Versova

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Ajaz Khan, the Bigg Boss fame actor-turned-politician, suffered an embarrassing defeat in the Maharashtra Assembly elections, where he polled just 155 from the Versova constituency. Remarkably, even the NOTA (None of the Above) option has outperformed him, securing 1,298 votes.

Fielded by Chandrashekhar Azad’s Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram), Ajaz Khan failed to translate his social media popularity – a staggering 5.6 million Instagram followers – into votes.

His political debut at the state level appears to have fallen flat, much like his earlier foray into the Lok Sabha elections. Khan had contested from the Mumbai North Central seat during the general elections but failed to make an impact there as well.

The Versova constituency, meanwhile, witnessed a fierce contest between Haroon Khan of the Shiv Sena (UBT) and Bharati Lavekar of the BJP. Haroon Khan, however, won the seat with a margin of over 1,600 votes.

While Ajaz Khan has struggled to breach even the 150-vote mark, the Mahayuti alliance is surging towards a dominant victory across the state, projected to win over 221 seats. In contrast, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), comprising Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and Sharad Pawar’s NCP faction, appears headed for a humiliating defeat.

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Maharashtra

‘This Is Landslide Victory. I Thank My Ladli Behnas And Kisans…’: CM Shinde On Mahayuti’s Massive Win In Maharashtra 

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In a statement to the media, Shinde said, “I thank the voters of Maharashtra. This is a landslide victory. I had said before that Mahayuti will get a thumping victory. I thank all sections of the society. I thank my ladali behnas and kisans. I also thank all the workers of the Mahayuti parties. “

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party is likely to hold the Maharashtra Legislative Party meeting on November 25 and the oath-taking ceremony on 26,

A larger meeting of the Yuti alliance is also likely to be held around the same time. 

This comes after the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra crossed the crucial majority mark, as per the Election Commission data around 11 am. It is securing a lead in 220 seats and is likely heading towards a landslide victory. Celebrations have already begun at the BJP’s Mumbai office.

Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde said, “As we had expected, we have got very good numbers. I thank all the voters who stood behind Mahayuti and gave this landslide victory…”

Shiv Sena leader Naresh Mhaske said, “Maharashtra of government has expressed its faith in Mahayuti. The public is seeing what is happening to Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena today. The people have stated that Eknath Shinde is the one who is capable of leading Balasaheb Thackeray’s Shiv Sena…By way of their votes, the public has slapped a slipper on the face of Sanjay Raut. I am a Shiv Sena worker and I think that Eknath Shinde should be the chief minister…”

Early trends as per ECI

As per the initial results, the Mahayuti alliance is leading in 220 seats, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leading in 128 seats, driving the charge in Maharashtra. The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena (SHS) follows closely with 55 seats. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), led by Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, is leading in 35 seats, while the Rashtriya Yuva Swabhiman Party (RSHYVSWBHM) is leading in 2 seats.

Meanwhile, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) is trailing, with a lead in 51 seats. The Indian National Congress (INC), part of the MVA, is leading in 20 seats. The Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leading in 16 seats, and the Nationalist Congress Party – Sharadchandra Pawar (NCP-SP) is leading in 13 seats. The Samajwadi Party (SP) too is in the lead at 2 seats.

In addition, the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), Jan Surajya Shakti (JSS), and Peasants And Workers Party of India (PWPI) are all leading in 2 seats each.

Other minor parties, including Swatantra Bharat Paksha (STBP), Indian Secular Largest Assembly of Maharashtra (DISECL), CPI(M), Bahujan Vikas Aaghadi (BVA), and Rajarshi Shahu Vikas Aghadi (RSVA) are leading in 1 seat each. Additionally, 5 independent candidates (IND) are leading in their respective constituencies.

As the Sena-BJP-NCP celebrate all eyes will now be on who will assume the post of CM of the state.

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Maharashtra

Maharashtra Election Results 2024: UBT’s Sanjay Raut Cries Conspiracy, Says ‘This Can’t Be Decision Of People Of State’

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Maharashtra Election Results 2024: UBT's Sanjay Raut Cries Conspiracy, Says 'This Can't Be Decision Of People Of State'

The early trends as of 10:30 AM indicate a landslide victory for the BJP-led Mahayuti government in the Maharashtra Assembly elections. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut has responded to the early trends showing Maha Vikas Aghadi’s (MVA) massive defeat in Maharashtra.

Speaking to the media amid ongoing counting, Raut said, ‘This cannot be the decision of the people of Maharashtra. We know what the people of Maharashtra want.’

‘From what we are seeing, it seems that something is wrong. This was not the decision of the public. Everyone will understand what is wrong here. What did they (Mahayuti) do that they are getting more than 120 seats? How is it that MVA is not even getting 75 seats in Maharashtra?’ Raut said.

Rejecting the trends, Raut said that his party has faith in the people of Maharashtra. “They have done some ‘gadbad,’ they have stolen some of our seats…This cannot be the public’s decision. Even the public does not agree with these results. Once the results are out, we will talk more. In every election seat, money-counting machines were installed. Is it possible that Shinde gets 60 seats, Ajit Pawar gets 40 seats, and BJP gets 125 seats? The people of this state are not dishonest. We have faith in the people of Maharashtra,” he said.

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