NEW DELHI, Aug 21 � P A Sangma today moved the Supreme Court challenging the election of Pranab Mukherjee as the President of India saying that the veteran Congress leader was not eligible for the post as he was holding offices of profit.
The petition, filed by Sangma, has contended that Mukherjee was holding the offices of profit as the chairman of Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Kolkata and was also the leader of the Congress Party in Lok Sabha when he had entered the Presidential race.
The tribal leader from Meghalaya, who lost the Presidential poll, has sought a direction for setting aside Mukherjee�s election as the President and declaring him as elected to the post.
Sangma said at the time of his election as President, Mukherjee was the leader of Congress Party in the Lok Sabha which was an office of profit as the person holding this office is entitled to various facilities, which are in addition to the facilities available to him as an MP.
�That the very act of bringing the said two offices � Chairman of ISI Council and leader of legislative party if Congress in Lok Sabha � under the purview of the Parliament (Prevention of Disqualification) Act, 1959 is in itself sufficient declaration that both these are offices of profit.
�Even otherwise, the facilities to which the holder of these two offices are entitled, the nature of functions of these two offices as well as the incompatibility and conflict of interest of these two offices with the office of President of India makes it absolutely clear that they are, in fact, offices of profit,� the petition said.
Mukherjee�s election as President is �illegal, void ab-initio and liable to be set aside,� Sangma�s petition settled by BJP leaders and senior counsel Ram Jethmalani and Satpal Jain, said.
Sangma claimed that Mukherjee�s purported resignation letter of June 20 from the Indian Statistical Institute was a �forged� document which was prepared with a back date after the objection in this regard was raised before the Returning Officer.
He also submitted that Mukherjee�s resignation was never placed before the Council of the Institute which elected him as the Chairman and was competent to accept his resignation.
He said Mukherjee was holding the office of profit on all the three dates � i.E the date of filing of nomination papers, the date of scrutiny as well as the date of declaration of the result.
Mukherjee was declared elected on July 22 and took oath of office of President on July 25.
In an election that caused divisions in the opposition NDA and the Left, Mukherjee secured a vote value of 7,13,763, garnering 69.3 per cent of the total 10,29,750 valid votes polled. PTI
