Maharashtra political crisis: Plea in Supreme Court by Shiv Sena whip Sunil Prabhu against floor test to be heard at 5 pm today

The Supreme Court will hear at 5 pm today, the plea Uddhav Thakceray camp of Shiv Sena challenging Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari's decision to hold floor test in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly tomorrow..The plea was mentioned by Senior Advocate Dr. Abhishek Manu Singhvi before a bench of Justices Surya Kant and JB Pardiwala, seeking urgent listing citing the fact that the floor test is scheduled for 11 am tomorrow.He further submitted that the rebel group of Shiv Sena MLAs in the Enkath Shinde camp should not allowed to vote in the floor test."I am mentioning a matter for an illegal floor test. Floor test cannot include names which are stigmatized. I want a hearing late evening. Votes which cannot be counted will be counted. The entire exercise will be futile," Singhvi submitted.Senior Counsel Neeraj Kishan Kaul for Shinde camp, opposed the request but the bench said that the matter will have to be heard before the floor test."Whether we decide in favour or not, they cannot be denied hearing. An urgent hearing ought to be granted," the bench remarked..Maharashtra has been embroiled in political crisis after cabinet minister Eknath Shinde and a rebel group of MLAs left the State first for Surat in Gujarat and then for Guwahati where they have been encamped for more than a week now. Shinde group has expressed its displeasure with the alliance by Shiv Sena with the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party.It has claimed that it stands for the cause propounded by founder Balasaheb Thackeray and has named itself ‘Shiv Sena (Balasaheb)'.The Deputy Speaker of the Assembly had then served notice for disqualification on 12 of the rebel MLAs. However, they had then approached the Supreme Court challenging the disqualification notices as well as the appointment of Ajay Choudhari as Shiv Sena Legislature Party leader.The top court had on June 27, granted interim relief to Shinde and the rebel MLAs by extending the time to file response to the disqualification notice sent by the Deputy Speaker, till July 12. The deadline was set to expire at 5.30 pm on June 27. During the hearing of the case on June 27, Senior Advocate Devadatt Kamat had expressed apprehension that the Governor would call for a floor test before July 12 thereby defeating the purpose of tenth schedule of the Constitution which bars defection of law makers. "Our apprehension is that they are going to ask for a floor test. That will alter status quo," Kamat had submitted.The Court had then said that it is open to them to approach Supreme Court.