NEW DELHI: The
Supreme Court
has declined to modify its previous order permitting
Ajit Pawar
to use the
NCP party name
and the
symbol ‘clock’
with a
disclaimer
, saying that the matter remains sub judice. Meanwhile, the
faction
led by
Sharad Pawar
has been designated as ‘NCP- Sharadchandra Pawar’ with the symbol of a man blowing a turha (trumpet).
During the hearing of the plea from both factions, the Supreme Court said that it’s time for them to focus on
electoral campaigning
rather than prolonged legal battles.
“It is high time for both of you to concentrate on something else,” the SC observed.
Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing the Sharad Pawar group, stressed the need to move forward, saying, “We are not here for a review with great respect.” He drew attention to the absence of disclaimers in various documents, highlighting the need for clarity on the issue.
Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing Ajit Pawar’s faction, informed the court about the second application filed, which had not been circulated previously. He emphasized the importance of addressing both sides of the argument and urged the court to consider all relevant factors.
Notably, on March 19, the top court had asked Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP to comply with the court’s direction to publish disclaimers in all their advertisements that the use of ‘clock’ symbol by them is a sub-judice matter. The SC had also asked the Sharad Pawar faction to use the ‘Nationalist Congress Party Sharadchandra Pawar’ name for upcoming elections and “mam blowing turha” symbol.