MUMBAI: Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde is among 53 Shiv Sena legislators who have been issued showcause notice as to why their membership of the legislative assembly should not be terminated following disqualification proceedings initiated against them.

The legislators have been asked to submit their replies within seven working days.

Significantly, the name of Aaditya Thackeray does not figure in the list submitted by the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.In all, notices were sent to 54 MLAs - 39 of Shinde-led Sena, 14 to Sena(UBT) and one other.Disqualification proceedings against members of the Shinde-led Sena were initiated by Sena (UBT) whip Sunil Prabhu, while Shinde group's whip, Bharat Gogawale, initiated proceedings against 14 Sena (UBT) MLAs."I have asked them to respond within seven days, failing which it will be assumed they have nothing to say.

In that event, I will pass an ex parte order," assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar told TOI.

Assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar confirmed to TOI that following different sets of petitions filed by rival factions for violation of the anti-defection law, he has issued showcause notices to 54 legislators, 39 belonging to the Eknath Shinde-led party and 14 to Sena (UBT).

"My office has issued showcause notices to them.

'Reasonable period means within 90 days' Narwekar's decision to swing into action assumes much political significance since at an event at Raj Bhavan for the release of a book on veteran Congress leader Balasaheb Desai, father of state excise minister Shamburaj Desai, Narwekar had observed that soon he will take a "revolutionary" decision.Sunil Prabhu had on June 21, 2022, issued a whip, directing all Shiv Sena legislators, including Eknath Shinde, to remain present at a meeting convened by Uddhav Thackeray.

Prabhu initiated disqualification proceedings against Shinde and 15 others, saying they did not follow the whip and violated the 10th schedule of the Constitution.

It was followed by another disqualification notice to 23 legislators on the same grounds.

Even as the disqualification proceedings were pending before the speaker, Shinde-led Sena initiated proceedings against 14 Sena (UBT) legislators.As there was no decision by the speaker, Prabhu approached the Supreme Court, saying since more than a year has passed, it should give directions to the speaker to expeditiously dispose of the case, preferably within 90 days.

In the Shiv Sena case, the apex court had expressed the desire that such matters should be disposed of in a reasonable time, while in another case against the Manipur assembly speaker, the apex court observed that a reasonable period means within 90 days.