Supreme Court adjourns hearing on Shiv Sena's plea against Maharashtra Assembly speaker's order

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday adjourned the hearing on a plea filed by the Shiv Sena's Uddhav Thackeray faction challenging the order of the Maharashtra Assembly speaker declaring the Eknath Shinde-led faction as the "real political party" of the Shiv Sena. The hearing has been adjourned till 22nd January. 

The plea was initially scheduled to be heard on January 19 before a bench headed by Chief Justice Dhananjaya Chandrachud. The bench, which also comprises Justices J. B. Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, was informed by senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the Thackeray faction, that he would like the hearing to be held on Monday next week instead of this Friday. The chief justice agreed to hear the matter on Monday.

The Thackeray faction had filed the plea in the Supreme Court on January 15 through advocate Rohit Sharma challenging the decision of the Assembly speaker on January 10 declaring the Shinde-led faction as the "real political party" of the Shiv Sena.

The plea argued that the Assembly speaker's decision was "arbitrary, illegal and unconstitutional". The plea also sought a stay on the speaker's decision until the Supreme Court decides the matter.