New Delhi(PTI): The Supreme Court Monday commenced hearing on the pleas of rebel Shiv Sena MLAs, led by minister Eknath Shinde, against the disqualification notice issued by the deputy speaker to them and asked why they did not move the Bombay High Court in the matter.

A vacation bench of Justices Surya Kant and J B Pardiwala was told by senior advocate N K Kaul, who appeared for the rebel MLAs, that the Uddhav Thackeray group is in the minority of the legislative party and has been subverting the state machinery .

Kaul said that atmosphere is not conducive for these MLAs in Bombay as they have been threatened.

He cited the apex court verdict in the Nabam Rebia case of Arunachal Pradesh and said the deputy speaker is not competent to proceed with the disqualification of MLAs when a plea for his own removal is pending.

Kaul said 39 MLAs are together against the minority group.

Maharashtra Shiv Sena MLA and minister Eknath Shinde have moved the apex court against the disqualification notice issued by the deputy speaker to him and 15 other rebel legislators, calling the action "illegal and unconstitutional" and seeking a stay on it.

Shinde and a sizable number of MLAs rebelled against the leadership of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on June 21 and are currently in Guwahati in Assam.

Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.



Mumbai (PTI): Bhavesh Bhinde, an advertising firm’s director, whose company had put up the giant hoarding that collapsed in Mumbai killing 16 people, was brought to the city early on Friday, a police official said.

Bhinde, director of M/s Ego Media Pvt. Ltd., the advertising agency which recently installed the billboard that crashed in suburban Ghatkopar on Monday evening, was apprehended from Udaipur in Rajasthan on Thursday, he said.

Bhinde was then taken to Ahmedabad and from there he was brought to Mumbai by flight, the official said.

The police team along with Bhinde arrived at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport around 5 am and he was taken to a crime branch office, he said.

He will be produced before the court later in the day, he said.

After trailing Bhinde for three days, the city police nabbed him on Thursday from Udaipur, he said.

The 120 feet x 120 feet hoarding collapsed onto a nearby petrol pump in the Chhedanagar area in Ghatkopar during gusty winds and heavy unseasonal rains, killing 16 people and injuring 75 others.

After the tragedy, a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder under the IPC was registered at the Pant Nagar Police Station against Bhinde, all directors of the advertising agency Ego Media, its officials and employees, officials had said earlier.