New Delhi, 4 April

Supreme Court on Thursday asked both Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar factions of the Nationalist Congress Party to abide by its directions on use of symbols, party names and disclaimers in publicity material for the Assembly and general elections.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and KV Viswanathan, while disposing of the applications filed by both sides on non-compliance of its 19 March order, said it is high time that leaders of both factions should be somewhere else and not courts.

It directed the Sharad Pawar faction to sensitise party workers on using the name 'Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar' and symbol 'man blowing turha' (a traditional trumpet also known as tutari) in poll campaigns.

It further directed that the faction led by the veteran leader to ask their party workers, leaders, office bearers and lawmakers not to use the ‘clock’ symbol in poll advertisements, which has been allotted to the Ajit Pawar led bloc of the NCP. Similarly, it asked the Ajit Pawar faction to issue bigger and prominent advertisements in newspapers saying allocation of 'clock' symbol to it is sub-judice, as was directed in the apex court's 19 March order.

The bench refused to modify its directions issued in the 19 March order as sought by the Ajit Pawar-led bloc, and said there appears to be no necessity. On 19 March, the top court allowed the Sharad Pawar faction to use 'Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar' as its name for the Lok Sabha and assembly polls.

The top court had directed the Ajit Pawar-led faction to issue a public notice in the newspapers in English, Hindi and Marathi editions notifying that the allocation of 'clock' symbol is sub-judice before this court and the respondent have been permitted to use the same subject to final outcome of these proceedings. "Such a declaration shall be incorporated in every pamphlet, advertisement, audio or video clip to be issued by the respondent (NCP) political party," the top court had said.