The Supreme Court on March 14 sought a response from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) faction led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on a plea of the Sharad Pawar group alleging misuse of his name and pictures for political gains.
“You have chosen to go your separate way. We want a categorical and unconditional assurance that you will not use his face or name in association with your party,” Justice Surya Kant told Ajit Pawar’s lawyer.
A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and K.V. Viswanathan asked the Ajit Pawar faction to file its response by March 16 to Sharad Pawar’s plea and fixed it for further hearing on March 19.
Earlier, the top court had directed that the Election Commission’s order of February 7 allotting ‘Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar’ as the party name for the Sharad Pawar faction will continue till further orders.
It had also sought a response from the Ajit Pawar-led faction on a plea of Sharad Pawar against the February 6 order of the Election Commission recognising the Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister-led group as the real NCP.
(With inputs from PTI)