# Uddhav camp tells SC defection cannot be rewarded under Constitution 2026-08-13T15:42:46+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets On Thursday, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) argued before the Supreme Court that taking into account events after a splinter group files a claim for the party symbol would encourage defections and defeat the anti-defection law. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal told a bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant that the Constitution cannot be interpreted to reward the 'sin' of defection. Sibal cited the Rajendra Singh Rana case to argue that subsequent defections cannot be aggregated to meet the one-third threshold for a split. The court is hearing the Thackeray faction's challenge to the Election Commission's recognition of the Eknath Shinde faction as the real Shiv Sena with the 'bow and arrow' symbol. The hearing was adjourned to August 18. ## Coverage - timesofindia.indiatimes.com - livelaw.in Tags: anti-defection law, ECI, Eknath Shinde, Shiv Sena, Supreme Court, Uddhav Thackeray Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/shiv-sena-sin-of-defection-must-not-be-rewarded-uddhav-camp-tells-sc/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/shiv-sena-sin-of-defection-must-not-be-rewarded-uddhav-camp-tells-sc/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.