In response to the Supreme Court’s verdict, Uddhav Thackeray said on Thursday that the Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had “murdered” democracy for coming to power and should step down.
“Eknath Shinde won after murdering democracy. He should resign as Chief Minister as I did,” Thackeray said, addressing a press conference after the Supreme Court’s verdict with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar by his side.
The Supreme Court ruled that former Maharashtra governor BS Koshyari was inaccurate to ask the then-Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to prove his majority in the Assembly on June 30 of last year, but it also said it could not restore his government because he did not face the strength test and resigned.
Giving Thackeray what his supporters have dubbed a “moral victory,” the court also ruled that the speaker’s decision to appoint a member of Shinde’s faction as the Shiv Sena’s whip, thereby undermining the control of the party’s then leader, was “illegal.”
A batch of pleas pertaining to the political crisis that resulted in the fall of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government led by Thackeray following a revolt by Shinde and others were settled unanimously by a five-judge constitution bench presided over by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud.
However, it stated that the governor was justified in inviting Shinde to form a government at the behest of the BJP, the largest political party in the house, since Thackeray had resigned without taking the floor test.
“The governor was not justified in calling upon Thackeray to prove his majority on the floor of the House because he did not have reasons based on objective material before him to reach the conclusion that Thackeray had lost the confidence of the House,” said the court.
“However, the status quo ante can’t be restored because Thackeray did not face the floor test and tendered his resignation. The governor was, therefore, justified in inviting Shinde to form the government at the behest of the BJP, which was the largest political party in the house,” it said.
Also Read: After Job Cuts, Microsoft To Stop Increments This Year
