New Delhi, Nov 1 (IANS) The Supreme Court Thursday said it would hold preliminary hearing on P.A. Sangma’s petition challenging Pranab Mukherjee’s election as the president of India.
The apex court constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Altamas Kabir said that it would conduct preliminary hearing to determine whether it should hold regular hearing of the petition challenging Mukherjee’s election as the president.
The court’s order came in the wake of procedural objections raised by senior counsel Ram Jethmalani, who appeared for Sangma.
Ram Jethmalani contended that under the procedure, the court should first hold the preliminary hearing before embarking on regular hearing.
Sangma moved the apex court Aug 21 contending that Mukherjee held an office of profit when he filed his nomination papers.
Describing as ill-conceived a petition challenging his election as president, Pranab Mukherjee Tuesday told the Supreme Court that at the time of filing his nomination papers he held no office of profit.
In his recent preliminary objections filed against the petition by his opponent in the presidential election P.A. Sangma, Mukherjee said that he gave up the honorary position as chairman of the Kolkata-based Indian Statistical Institute June 20.
He had sought the dismissal of Sangma’s petition, describing it ill-conceived and baseless.
