SC declines interim stay on Speaker’s decision to approve Uddhav Sena MPs’ ‘merger’ with Shinde faction
The Supreme Court of India has declined to stay the Lok Sabha Speaker's decision to recognize the merger of six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs with the rival Shinde faction. The court has issued a notice to the Speaker and scheduled a hearing for the challenge in two weeks.
Why it matters
This case addresses critical constitutional questions regarding party splits, anti-defection laws, and the authority of the Speaker in Indian parliamentary politics.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday (July 22, 2026) refused to grant an interim stay on Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla’s decision recognising the “merger” of six of the nine Shiv Sena (Uddhav Bal Thackeray) MPs with the rival Shiv Sena faction led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde ahead of Parliament’s Monsoon Session . However, the court agreed to hear the challenge to the Speaker’s decision after two weeks.
A Bench of Justices P.S. Narasimha and Alok Aradhe sought the Lok Sabha Speaker’s response on a petition filed by Shiv Sena (UBT) parliamentary party leader Arvind Sawant, who challenged as “ex facie unconstitutional, illegal and perverse” the July 18, 2026, circular issued by the Joint Secretary of the Lok Sabha Secretariat recognising the purported merger.
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