Sharad Pawar challenges Ajit Pawar’s NCP faction in Supreme Court over non-compliance with court orders on communication disclaimers. Singhvi stresses urgency, saying, “Changes during elections are unacceptable.”
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NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday(on 3rd April) asked Ajit Pawar–led Nationalist Congress Party to furnish details of newspaper advertisements issued in compliance of its order which instructed the faction to run all publicity with disclaimer that allocation of ‘clock’ symbol to it is sub judice.
A bench of Justice Surya Kant and KV Viswanathan asked senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the faction led by the Maharashtra deputy chief minister, to furnish the details of advertisements issued after Sharad Pawar alleged that they are not complying with the court’s March 19 order.
The bench said:
“Mr Rohatgi you have your instructions on how many advertisements were issued after this order. We might be required to take a view if he (Ajit Pawar) is behaving like this. Nobody has a right to deliberately misconstrue our order.”
Veteran Maharashtra politician, Sharad Pawar, approaching the Supreme Court with a complaint concerning the ongoing conflict within the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). He alleges that the faction led by Ajit Pawar is flouting a previous court directive that mandates the inclusion of disclaimers in their advertisements and public notices.
Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Sharad Pawar, urgently brought the case to the Supreme Court’s attention. Appearing before a bench comprising Justice Surya Kant and KV Viswanathan, Singhvi expressed apprehensions regarding the non-compliance of Ajit Pawar’s faction with the court’s directives.
Despite clear instructions, Ajit Pawar’s side has requested a relaxation of this requirement, prompting Singhvi to the urgency and sensitivity of the matter, particularly with elections looming.
He emphasized the disruption caused by stating-
“It’s unacceptable to make such changes during the elections.”
It declined the request for any modification, reinforcing that the original order would stand effective until the election process is completed. “No, this has to continue till polls conclude. Nobody can misconstrue our order,” was the unequivocal message from the court.
Furthermore, the court has sought a comprehensive list of advertisements released thus far and indicated that it would deliberate on the scheduling of Sharad Pawar’s plea at a later time.
This dispute arises from a division within the NCP that surfaced in July 2023, when Ajit Pawar led a rebellious faction. This division has led to the Ajit Pawar group aligning with Maharashtra’s ruling government under Eknath Shinde, while the internal loyalty conflict within the NCP was brought before the Election Commission of India (ECI).
With the support of a majority of NCP MLAs in the Maharashtra State Assembly, the ECI recognized the Ajit Pawar faction as the legitimate representation of the NCP. However, this decision was challenged in the Supreme Court by Sharad Pawar, who objected to his nephew’s faction being granted the party’s symbol without a clear judicial resolution.
On March 19, the Supreme Court provisionally allowed the Ajit Pawar faction to use the NCP’s clock symbol for forthcoming elections but imposed a condition that public notifications must clarify that this permission was subject to the court’s final decision. The court further mandated that such a disclaimer must be present in all advertising materials issued by this faction.
