New Delhi: Ajit Pawar, the chief of a faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), assured the Supreme Court on Wednesday that a disclaimer regarding the sub-judice status of the ‘clock’ symbol will be published in prominent newspapers, including Marathi dailies, within the next 36 hours.
Senior Advocate Balbir Singh, representing Ajit Pawar, communicated this promise to the Supreme Court, following an informal instruction given by the judges on the bench.
A Supreme Court bench comprising Justice Surya Kant, Justice Dipankar Datta, and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan was addressing an application from the Sharad Pawar-led NCP faction, which sought to prevent the Ajit Pawar faction from using the ‘clock’ symbol in the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections.
The Sharad Pawar group urged Ajit Pawar’s faction should apply for a new electoral symbol to avoid confusion.
This issue dates back to earlier orders on March 19 and April 4, when the court instructed the NCP-AP to include a disclaimer in all campaign materials clarifying that the ‘clock’ symbol’s use was pending the outcome of litigation.
During a recent hearing on October 24, the Court required Ajit Pawar to affirm his compliance with these directives for the state elections, with a warning that any breach could result in suo motu contempt proceedings.
Justice Kant questioned the delay in publishing the disclaimer, emphasising urgency.
Singh assured that the disclaimer would appear within 36 hours.
However, Advocate Pranjal Agarwal, representing Sharad Pawar, alleged that Ajit Pawar’s faction was deleting social media videos that lacked the required disclaimers while tampering with materials to falsely suggest compliance.
Agarwal further argued that current posters in Baramati lacked disclaimers and suggested that Ajit Pawar’s faction should adopt a new electoral symbol instead of the ‘clock.’
Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Sharad Pawar, expressed frustration at the repeated need for legal intervention, accusing the Ajit Pawar faction of exploiting Sharad Pawar’s reputation and the ‘clock’ symbol.
“Clock symbol has been used by Sharad Pawar for the last 36 years. It is closely associated with him,” Singhvi asserted.
Justice Datta, however, questioned the feasibility of blocking Ajit Pawar’s use of the symbol with elections fast approaching. Singh responded that granting the Sharad Pawar faction’s request now could effectively serve as final relief before the case concludes.
The dispute follows the Election Commission of India’s decision to recognise Ajit Pawar’s faction as the official NCP and award it the ‘clock’ symbol, based on its legislative majority.
The Sharad Pawar faction challenged the decision in the Supreme Court, which allowed the Ajit Pawar faction to use the symbol on March 19, contingent on a public disclaimer about the ongoing legal proceedings.
The court had also instructed the Ajit Pawar faction not to use Sharad Pawar’s name or image in campaign materials. Subsequently, the Sharad Pawar faction alleged non-compliance with the March 19 order, prompting the court to demand proof of advertisements published with the disclaimer.
In a subsequent order on April 4, the Court specified that the Sharad Pawar faction would use a separate name, “NCP (Sharad Pawar),” and the symbol of a “man blowing a trumpet,” restricting the ‘clock’ symbol’s use to the Ajit Pawar faction under the terms specified
