Battle on party symbol: SC refuses to stay EC’s order for now, issues notice to Shinde, poll body 

The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to stay the Election Commission of India (ECI) order that had recognised the Eknath Shinde faction as the real Shiv Sena and allocated the ‘bow and arrow’ symbol to it. However, the top court issued notices to Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde and the Election Commission over Uddhav Thackeray’s petition challenging the poll body’s decision.

The court, however, granted liberty to the rival Uddhav Thackeray faction to use the name ‘Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray)’ and the ‘flaming torch’ symbol for the bye-elections in Chinchwad and Kasba Peth.

“The ECI order is confined to a symbol. Now we cannot pass an order to stay the Election Commission order. We are entertaining the SLP. We cannot stay the ECI order today,” the Court said.

The top court also refused to restrain the Shinde-faction from taking over properties and finances of Shiv Sena, according to Hindustan Times. “This will amount to staying the EC order and we can’t do that since they have succeeded there,” chief justice DY Chandrachud said.

On Monday, Thackeray had moved the top court challenging the poll panel’s order as the Shinde camp took over the Sena office in the Maharashtra Assembly.

Later, the Lok Sabha secretariat informed that the Sena parliamentary party office in Delhi was allotted to the Shinde faction.

The former chief minister had told the Supreme Court that the EC failed to act as a neutral arbiter in the war between the two factions. Addressing a presser, Thackeray claimed everything had been stolen from him, reported HT. He added that the name and symbol of the party had been stolen but the name Thackeray cannot be stolen.

-INDIA NEWS STREAM