SC: Ajit faction can’t use Sharad’s name, photo

New Delhi, March 14

The name and photographs of Sharad Pawar can’t be used by the Ajit Pawar faction for political gains, the Supreme Court said on Thursday as it sought response from the NCP faction led by Maharashtra deputy CM on senior Pawar’s petition, alleging misuse of his popularity.

“Once you (Ajit Pawar faction) have chosen to go separate ways, then use your own identity. We need a categorical and unconditional undertaking that the name, pictures of Sharad Pawar will not be used (by your party),” a Bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and KV Viswanathan told senior advocate Maninder Singh, who represented the Ajit Pawar faction.

Asking the Ajit Pawar faction to file an affidavit to this effect by Saturday, the Bench posted the matter for further hearing on March 19.

On behalf of Sharad Pawar, senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi alleged that the faction led by Ajit Pawar was “riding piggyback on his good will” and the Maratha stalwart did not need “left handed compliments” from rivals.

As the lawyer representing the Ajit Pawar faction claimed that there might have been unverified and random misuse of the name and pictures of the veteran leader just to malign the deputy CM’s political outfit, the Bench said it would consider the issue at the next hearing.

Earlier, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi submitted on behalf of the Ajit Pawar group that the main plea of Sharad Pawar against the February 6 order of the Election Commission recognising the Ajit Pawar faction as the real NCP was already listed for next week and the two issues can be taken up together “to avoid duplication”.

Singhvi contested Rohatgi’s arguments, saying there was no duplication as here the issue of misuse of the goodwill of Sharad Pawar has cropped up.

Veteran politician Sharad Pawar, who founded the NCP with former Lok Sabha speaker Purno Sangma and Tariq Anwar in 1999 after being expelled from the Congress, had last month moved the Supreme Court challenging the Election Commission’s February 6, 2023 decision to recognise the Ajit Pawar-led faction as the real NCP.

Response sought

The top court has sought response from the Nationalist Congress Party’s (NCP) Ajit Pawar faction on a plea of the veteran Maratha leader, alleging misuse of his popularity by the rival camp.