Maharashtra
Shiv Sena MLAs’ Disqualification Pleas: All Eyes On Speaker Rahul Narwekar’s Big Verdict At 4 pm
There is high tension in corridors of power in Maharashtra as Speaker of the legislative assembly Rahul Narvekar is all set to announce his verdict on Wednesday at 4 p.m. on the disqualification of chief minister Eknath Shinde and his 36 MLAs who ditched the erstwhile Uddhav Thackeray government in June 2022 and joined hands with the BJP to form a coalition government.
A new twist was added to the high-voltage drama with Mr Thackeray filing an affidavit in the Supreme Court on Wednesday accusing Mr Narvekar of political partiality.
Even if the verdict goes against Shinde & Co, there will be no immediate danger to the government since the BJP with its 105 MLAs will continue to have the support of 38 MLAs of the NCP (Ajit Pawar) and some independents in a 288 member House. In fact, sources said after splitting the Shiv Sena, deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis of the BJP split the NCP led by Sharad Pawar also precisely to have a cushion in the event of Shinde and his team getting disqualified.
Uddhav camp not very hopeful
However, the opposition led by the Shiv Sena (UBT) is not very hopeful of a verdict in its favour. The party has already questioned the impartiality of Mr Narvekar, who is an advocate belonging to the BJP before he was elected Speaker. Both Mr Uddhav Thackeray and his party spokesperson Sanjay Raut slammed Mr Narvekar for allegedly cosying up to Mr Shinde on the eve of the verdict. Mr Thackeray sarcastically described the two recent meetings between Mr Shinde and Mr Narvekar as meetings between “an accused and a judge.” Political observers say that Mr Narvekar should not only be neutral, but also appear to be so. But, by meeting the CM he has himself provoked the opposition to question his impartiality and thus has lowered the stature of his office.
Mr Narvekar’s verdict will be in response to 34 petitions moved by both the factions of the Shiv Sena. Sources said the Speaker may read out only the operative part of his judgment on Wednesday, which is the last date given by the Supreme Court to pronounce his verdict.
The Thackeray faction initiated disqualification proceedings against Mr Shinde and his group on June 25, 2022 when it issued notices to all the defecting MLAs. The rebels were given 48 hours to respond. However, this was challenged by Shinde in the Supreme Court. The apex court in a verdict, which raised eyebrows in legal circles, gave Shinde 12 days to respond while the normal time is only seven days.
Narvekar in the midst of a controversy
This is not the first time Mr Narvekar, who has himself changed his political loyalties more than once, has found himself in the midst of a controversy.
In October 2023, the Supreme Court came down heavily on him for the delay in deciding the pleas filed by the Thackeray faction seeking the disqualification of Shinde and the “rebel” MLAs.
Mr Narvekar’s order is expected to deal with the tenth schedule of the Constitution which makes it clear that legislators who have defected from their party invite disqualification. The Thackeray group has contended that the Shinde group’s disregard of the party whip, appointment of a new deputy Speaker, the call for a floor test and claim of majority all clearly prove defection. Mr Thackeray further contended that by calling for a floor test the then governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari had effectively recognised a split in his party which was an illegal act.
Maharashtra
Mumbai: Student dies, four injured after tree falls on school bus in Chembur.

Mumbai, June 30: A student died and four others were injured in an accident in the Chembur area of Mumbai, Maharashtra. A tree suddenly fell onto a bus belonging to Universal School, located on Road No. 11 in Chembur. This resulted in the death of one student on board and injuries to four others.
According to reports, there were 12 children on the school bus at the time of the accident. The sudden fall of the tree caused significant damage to the bus and sparked panic among the children inside. A total of five students sustained injuries, with one being critically hurt. The critically injured student was declared dead at 4:23 PM. He has been identified as 11-year-old Vihan Srivastava.
Upon receiving news of the incident, locals and rescue teams rushed to the scene. All students trapped inside the bus were safely evacuated, and the injured were immediately taken to the hospital.
The four injured students are currently undergoing treatment at Zen Hospital in Chembur under medical supervision. Following the incident, the police, fire department, and other relief and rescue teams arrived at the site and brought the situation under control. The police have initiated an investigation into the matter.
Officials from various departments, including the BMC, arrived at the scene after the incident and engaged in relief and rescue operations. Work also began to remove the damaged bus, which had been pinned beneath the tree. Describing the incident as heart-wrenching, Mumbai’s Deputy Mayor Sanjay Ghadi stated that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) would take strict action against those responsible.
It is worth noting that Mumbai is currently experiencing rainfall. During this period, strong winds pose a risk of trees and dilapidated buildings collapsing. The BMC makes preparations for this every year. However, this incident, occurring right at the onset of the monsoon, has raised several questions.
Maharashtra
Fayyaz, who distributed poison pills on Ashura Day, participated in the election, important conclusion in the investigation

Mumbai: Fayyaz Premji, who distributed poisonous capsules on Ashura Day in Mumbai, was mentally disturbed. He had also contested the election for the Khoja Committee here and after his defeat, he became disheartened. He was an atheist since 2005. He also started criticizing the Shia community and religious scholars. He committed this act to register his presence in the Khoja Committee. His intention was not to kill the mourners. He had ordered poisonous rat poison from MM Reshamwala of Madhya Pradesh and had also transferred money online for 40 kg of the substance. Fayyaz lives in Pune’s Women Nagar. Ever since he started making controversial statements against the Shia community, his family has also distanced themselves from him. Fayyaz also visited Iran in 2025 during this time. He confessed to the Mumbai police that his intention was not to take the lives of the mourners or kill them, so the capsule pills he distributed had only 1.5 or 1.1 grams of rat poison mixed in them so that the mourners would only get sick and not die. In this case, the police have also started investigating whether Fayyaz’s plan was prepared by him alone and whether more people are involved behind it and whether this is not a conspiracy of a lone wolf attack because it is also a part of global terrorism. In this regard, the police have started investigating this case from every angle, but in this case, the police have made it clear that Fayyaz’s mental state is also unstable and this is also leading to new conclusions in the investigation. The police have not denied the involvement of more people in this case, but in the investigation so far, only Fayyaz’s involvement in this case has been confirmed.
Maharashtra
Political parties should cooperate in the process of Special Revision (SIR) of voter lists: District Election Officer and Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide

Mumbai: As per the instructions of the Election Commission of India, the process of Special In-depth Revision (SIR) of Voter Lists is underway in the Mumbai region (Mumbai city and suburbs) under the programme. Political parties should cooperate in the various processes going on in this regard. In addition, District Election Officer and Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide has appealed to the public to assist in the house visits of Polling Station Level Officers (BLOs) from June 30 to July 29, 2026 to ensure maximum counting. To provide information about the Special In-depth Revision of Voter Lists programme, a meeting of representatives of various political parties was held today (June 30, 2026) at the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Headquarters under the chairmanship of the District Election Officer and Municipal Commissioner.
Deputy Mayor Sanjay Gadi, Additional Municipal Commissioner (City) and Additional District Election Officer Prajakta Verma-Laungare, Additional Municipal Commissioner (Western Suburbs) and Additional District Election Officer Dr. Vipin Sharma, Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects) and Additional District Election Officer Abhijeet Bangar, Additional Municipal Commissioner (Eastern Suburbs) and Additional District Election Officer Dr. Avinash Dhakane, District Collector (Mumbai City District) and Additional District Election Officer SMS. Aanchal Goyal, Joint Commissioner (Tax Assessment and Collection) Mr. Vishwas Shankarwar etc. were present on the occasion. Representatives of various political parties were also present. District Election Officer and Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide further said that the Polling Station Level Officers (BLOs) will visit the house between June 30 and July 29, 2026. Voters are expected to provide necessary information to the concerned BLOs. The aim of this entire process is that no eligible voter is left out and no ineligible person is included. Therefore, Smt. Bhide has appealed to all political parties to cooperate in this process. The representatives of political parties were provided with detailed information about the process, schedule and action taken under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the Voter List Programme. Apart from this, various issues raised by the representatives of political parties were discussed.
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