Is the concept of divorce new to the law of marriages, the Bombay High Court asked on Thursday while refusing to grant urgent hearing to a petition seeking a stay to swearing-in of Uddhav Thackeray as Maharashtra Chief Minister.
The petition, filed by a group of persons describing themselves as BJP supporters, sought a direction to the BJP and the Shiv Sena to stand by their pre-poll alliance and form government.
Advocate Mathews Nedumpara, their lawyer, on Thursday approached two different benches of the high court seeking urgent hearing, as Thackeray is slated to take oath of office in the evening.
But both the benches refused to take up the plea for urgent hearing.
A division bench of Justices S C Dharmadhikari and R I Chagla said they do not have time.
Nedumpara then approached the division bench of Chief Justice Pradeep Nandrajog and Justice Bharati Dangre, contending that Thackeray's swearing-in was "unconstitutional and void".
When the bench asked him why, the lawyer contended that the BJP and Sena betrayed the trust of voters, and the two parties should stand by their alliance sealed before the Assembly elections.
To this, Chief Justice Nandrajog said, "Is the concept of divorce new to the law of marriages?
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content