The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Ajit Pawar-led faction of the Nationalist Congress Party to stop using images or videos of party founder Sharad Pawar in their campaign for next week’s election.

This order follows Ajit Pawar's split from Sharad Pawar's side in July last year.

"Learn to stand on your own feet..." a bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan said, as it heard a plea by Pawar senior to stop his nephew using the symbol of a clock - the former undivided NCP's logo - to represent his party in this election.

The court’s response followed senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi’s assertion that an old video of Sharad Pawar, circulated by the Ajit Pawar camp, could misleadingly imply that the two Pawars are not rivals, potentially giving the nephew’s faction an electoral advantage.

The court rejected objections raised by the Ajit Pawar camp, represented by senior advocate Balbir Singh, who argued that the video was not part of the current campaign material.

Justice Surya Kant said, "Whether or not it is old video... you have an ideological difference with Sharad Pawar and are fighting against him. Therefore... you should try to stand on your own legs."

The court instructed Ajit Pawar's office to issue a circular to party leaders and workers, prohibiting the use of the video in question or any other photograph or video of Sharad Pawar. "Find your own identity as a separate and distinct political party," Justice Kant remarked, requesting a notice of compliance. 

Earlier, during the hearing, Mr. Singhvi criticized the Ajit Pawar camp for "piggybacking" on Sharad Pawar's popularity, especially in the 36 constituencies where the two NCP factions are direct rivals.

"Voters will get confused. He (Ajit Pawar) knows he has to piggyback on Sharad Pawar's goodwill and, as we get closer to the election, he is repeating, egregiously and blatantly, the same felony..."

"The idea (behind circulating the video of Sharad Pawar) was to show linkage... that we are one (and) when you vote for (Sharad) Pawar (you) vote for the Pawar family as a whole... that we are not divided and that Ajit Pawar is (still) close to Sharad Pawar," Mr Singhvi argued.

 "The question is simple... you (the Ajit Pawar faction) are under an injunction (to not campaign using the name of Sharad Pawar) by this court... then why on earth does an MLC post my (Sharad Pawar's) photo?"

Today's hearing comes after a prolonged dispute over the clock symbol. The court had previously allowed the Ajit Pawar camp to use the logo, but with the condition that they publicly declare that the final ruling on the matter is still pending.