New Delhi/IBNS: The Shiv Sena faction led by former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray moved the Supreme Court on Monday against Maharashtra assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar's decision to recognise the Eknath Shinde-led faction as the 'real Shiv Sena'.

The Speaker had also rejected the Uddhav faction's plea seeking the disqualification of 16 legislators belonging to the Shinde camp.

On January 10, Narwekar announced that the Shinde faction was the real Shiv Sena after the party founded by Bal Thackeray split in 2022.

He had also ruled that Thackeray had no power to remove Shinde, currently the chief minister, as the legislature party leader according to the Shiv Sena constitution.

Narwekar also ruled that Bharat Gogawale is the whip of the Shiv Sena and not Sunil Prabhu, who is part of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) team- as he had "ceased to reflect the will of the party" when two factions emerged.

While announcing the results in what is being called the disqualification case of Shiv Sena MLAs, including the Chief Minister, Narwekar had said that a party is decided based on the majority, and in this case, the Shinde group has the majority.

Narvekar decided that the Shiv Sena party chief could not remove the group leader from the post.

The petition of the Uddhav Thackrey faction will likely come up for hearing in the apex court on Tuesday.

[With UNI inputs]