CJI Indicates Supreme Court Might Hear Shiv Sena Pleas Tomorrow, After Eknath Shinde Group Seeks Urgent Listing

Chief Justice of India UU Lalit on Tuesday indicated that the Supreme Court Constitution Bench might take up tomorrow the cases related to the rift within the Shiv Sena party and the consequential political developments in the State of Maharashtra.

This was after Senior Advocate Neeraj Kishan Kaul, representing the Eknath Shinde group, sought an urgent hearing of the matter, saying that the proceedings before the Election Commission of India to determine the "real" Shiv Sena have been stalled.

The cases were referred to a Constitution Bench by a 3-judge bench on August 24. Kaul submitted that though the 3-judge bench stated that the matter will be listed before the Constitution Bench on Augsut 25, the matter never got listed. He also cited the upcoming local body polls and highlighted the need to urgently resolve the issue.

"I can't say off the cuff but certainly by tomorrow something will be there", CJI Lalit said after a brief consultation with the other judge of the bench Justice Ravindra Bhat.

During the hearing before the 3-judge bench, on a prayer made by Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing on behalf of the Uddhav camp, to restrain the Election Commission of India from deciding Eknath Shinde's claim as the official Shiv Sena party, the bench orally asked the ECI to not take any precipitative action.