The Supreme Court has provided an extension to Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar until February 15 to make a decision on the disqualification petitions filed by the Sharad Pawar faction against the Ajit Pawar group amid the ongoing factional feud within the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Maharashtra.

Initially, the Supreme Court had set a deadline of January 31 for the Speaker to conclude the proceedings. However, owing to the complexity and volume of the matter, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta highlighted that Speaker Narwekar required more time as he was engrossed in the Sena vs Sena case, which demanded significant attention.

During the hearing, Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing the Sharad Pawar faction, raised objections against further extension, citing the urgency of the matter. However, the bench, led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, weighed the circumstances and decided to extend the deadline, understanding the intricate nature of the case.

Rahul Narwekar, in his plea seeking an extension, emphasized the complexity of the situation, stating that the volume of documents and the intricate nature of the proceedings warranted additional time for a fair and thorough evaluation.

The dispute within the NCP erupted last year when Ajit Pawar and eight party MLAs aligned themselves with the Eknath Shinde-led government in Maharashtra, causing a split within the party. Since then, both factions have been embroiled in a legal battle, each claiming the party's name and symbol while petitioning the Speaker for the disqualification of members loyal to the opposing side.