New Delhi, 15 May (H.S.):

The Supreme Court expressed displeasure on Friday over what it described as irresponsible public statements by some leaders in the Shiv Sena election‑symbol dispute. A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant warned that such remarks will not be tolerated.

The Chief Justice cautioned a lawyer appearing for the Uddhav Thackeray faction to restrain their leaders, saying such behaviour would not be acceptable.

The Court noted that the parties themselves had requested dates for hearings and were now complaining that the Supreme Court was not deciding the matter. “We will fix the dates,” the bench said, “but first stop your people from going to the media and making irresponsible statements.”

Devdatt Kamat, counsel for the Uddhav Thackeray group, said lawyers would not endorse such statements and that they were ready to argue the case as per the Court’s convenience. Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the Eknath Shinde group, said those fighting the case had no right to make such statements against the Court. The Supreme Court then scheduled the next hearing for July 30.

The Uddhav Thackeray faction has challenged before the Supreme Court an Election Commission order that recognised the Shinde group as the real Shiv Sena. The petition contests the poll panel’s decision to allot the Shinde group the “Dhanush‑Baan” (bow‑and‑arrow) election symbol.

The Election Commission, on February 17, 2023, declared Eknath Shinde’s group the real Shiv Sena and allocated it the Dhanush‑Baan symbol. The Commission had found the party’s then‑existing constitution to be undemocratic, observing that undemocratic provisions had been clandestinely reintroduced, effectively turning the party into a private fiefdom.

The Commission noted that it had rejected such undemocratic structures in 1999 and said that such an organisation failed to inspire public confidence. The Uddhav Thackeray faction has approached the Supreme Court against the Election Commission’s order. The Dhanush‑Baan symbol has been associated with Shiv Sena since the time of Bal Thackeray.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar