Today, the Supreme Court directed the faction led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar to publish a disclaimer in newspapers, including those in Marathi, stating that the matter regarding the allocation of the "clock" symbol is still pending in court.

The court ordered that the disclaimer be published in the newspapers within 36 hours of the court's directive.

The bench of Justices Surya Kant, Dipankar Datta, and Ujjal Bhuyan was hearing the dispute between the Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar-led factions regarding the alleged use and misuse of the "clock" symbol.

During the proceedings, the bench advised both groups to shift their focus toward engaging with voters instead.

“Don’t waste your energy in courts. You both should go and be with the voters to woo them,” the bench told the counsel representing the factions.

The court directed senior advocate Balbir Singh, representing the Ajit Pawar faction, to publish a prominent disclaimer in newspapers, including those in Marathi, within 36 hours. Singh argued that the candidates had already filed their nominations and the stage for withdrawal had passed, but the Sharad Pawar faction was attempting to disrupt the election process.

On the contrary, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for the Sharad Pawar faction, asserted that the "clock" symbol had been closely associated with the veteran leader for the past 30 years and accused the opposing faction of attempting to misuse it. Singhvi, therefore, requested the court to direct the Ajit Pawar-led group to adopt a new symbol.