SC Rejects Plea Seeking Transfer Of All Assets Of Uddhav Thackeray Faction To Eknath Shinde Group

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a plea seeking the transfer of all party assets belonging to the Uddhav Thackeray faction to the group led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. The plea was filed by a Mumbai-based lawyer Ashish Giri, who was seeking direction to restrain the Thackeray group from transferring party funds. In his plea, Giri had urged the Supreme Court to restrain the Uddhav Thackeray group from alienating movable or immovable assets of the Shiv Sena party and transferring the same to the new faction headed by CM Shinde.

Supreme Court dismisses a plea seeking direction to restrain the Uddhav Thackeray group from alienating movable or immovable assets of the Shiv Sena party and it should be transferred to the new party president.

The plea was filed by a Mumbai-based lawyer Ashish Giri seeking…

— ANI (@ANI) April 28, 2023

"All the movable and immovable assets of Shiv Sena along with the frontal organisations and aligning organisations be transferred to the new party president as per the order of ECI," the plea stated.

The advocate argued before the top court that the funds and assets were collected by all the workers and leaders of any political party and there is no personal gain or rights of any group if the party is divided into two or more groups.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) had earlier allotted the party name 'Shiv Sena' and the symbol 'Bow and Arrow' to the Eknath Shinde-led faction, which further triggered fear in the Uddhav Thackeray-led camp that the new faction will now stake its claim to Shiv Sena Bhavan, local party offices, also known as shakhas and the party funds.

Not Interested in Shiv Sena Assets: Shinde Group

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena earlier this month said that it had no connection with a petition filed by a lawyer in the Supreme Court (SC) saying that all movable and immovable properties belonging to the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) should be transferred to Shinde's Shiv Sena. 

Maharashtra Cabinet Minister and spokesperson of the Shinde faction Deepak Kesarkar made it clear that his outfit is not even interested in laying claim to party funds after the EC recognised their group as the real Shiv Sena and allotted it the "bow and arrow" poll symbol.

He said Shinde has already made it clear his faction is not interested in staking claim to the Shiv Sena Bhavan, the party headquarters at Dadar in central Mumbai, or any property linked to the Thackeray group, and that the school of thoughts advanced by Sena founder late Bal Thackeray was their real asset.

It may be noted that there are various petitions pending before the apex court filed by both the rival factions Uddhav Thackeray and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in relation to the Maharashtra political crisis.