The Ajit Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) told the Supreme Court on Wednesday that it would publish fresh Marathi disclaimers in newspapers regarding use of clock symbol for the upcoming Maharashtra assembly polls [Sharad Pawar v. Ajit Anantrao Pawar and anr]
The top court had earlier directed the faction to add disclaimers in its election advertisements clarifying that the use of clock symbol is subject to the outcome in the legal proceedings against the Sharad Pawar faction over the ownership of the party symbol.
A Bench of Justices Surya Kant, Dipankar Datta and Ujjal Bhuyan today asked the Ajit Pawar faction to publish fresh disclaimers within 36 hours.
"Counsel for respondent says they undertake to publish fresh disclaimer about clock symbol in Marathi in newspapers within 36 hours. Let needful be done in prominent part of newspapers with wide publicity," the Court said in its order.
This was after Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for the Sharad Pawar faction, submitted that the Ajit Pawar faction was guilty of repeatedly violating court orders by using videos for campaigning that said Sharad Pawar is Ajit Pawar's God.
"We are saying that your lordships arrangement has failed because in statement after statement they say Sharad Pawar is my god. Repeated violations. Do not piggy back on me (Sharad Pawar) and clock symbol," Singhvi said.
"We will make sure there is compliance and everybody will come to know (of symbol)," the Bench responded.
The Court today also asked the Ajit Pawar to file its counter affidavit on the interim application filed by the Sharad Pawar faction that has called for the Ajit Pawar camp to be allotted a new symbol for the upcoming Maharashtra State Assembly elections.
According to Sharad Pawar's plea, the Ajit Pawar faction had engineered 'large scale confusion' in the minds of voters by using the clock symbol without any disclaimer.
Notably, amid a court battle between the two factions on who is the 'real' NCP, the Court had in March this year permitted the Ajit Pawar faction to use the clock symbol for the 2024 parliamentary elections and Maharashtra State elections, albeit with certain conditions.
This was after the Election Commission recognised the Ajit Pawar faction as the real NCP following a split in the party.
The Sharad Pawar faction challenged the ECI decision before the Supreme Court, which chose to allow Ajit Pawar to retain the symbol until the Court decides which faction should be recognised as the real NCP.
The Court in its March 2024 order said that the Ajit Pawar faction could use the clock symbol after issuing a public notice that the said allocation was subject to the apex court's final say on the matter.
The Court further directed incorporation of such a disclaimer in every template advertisement and audio and video clips to be issued on behalf this faction of the NCP.
The Sharad Pawar faction was asked to use a tutari (trumpet) symbol in its election campaigns for the time being.
Sharad Pawar then filed the present plea claiming that the Ajit Pawar faction was not adhering to the conditions set by the Court
The Supreme Court in October directed the Ajit Pawar faction to file an undertaking that it will abide by its earlier orders in the regard, on a plea filed by the rival Sharad Pawar faction.
During the hearing today, the Ajit faction assured the Court that it will publish fresh disclaimers.
Senior Advocate Balbir Singh represented the Ajit Pawar faction.