TMC MPs meet President, demand resignation of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta

Credit: PTI

New Delhi: In a bid to escalate the row over Solicitor General Tushar Mehta’s alleged meeting with BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari, TMC MPs on Monday (July 5) met President Ram Nath Kovind.

Leveling allegations of impropriety against the Solicitor General, the MPs demanded his resignation

“We have just met with the President and submitted a memorandum to him regarding the matter of great impropriety concerning the office of SG, Tushar Mehta. We ask for the immediate resignation of the SG on the grounds of gross misconduct and impropriety,” TMC MP Mahua Moitra said.

“On July 1, a certain BJP leader, MLA and LoP in West Bengal Assembly met with the Home Minister at his residence and immediately after that proceeded to the home of the Solicitor-General at 10 Akbar Road,” she added.

Adhikari had recently gone to the SG’s residence after which the row erupted. Adhikari is one of the accused persons in the 2016 Narada case, while SG Mehta represents the government in the same case which is being heard before the Supreme Court and the Calcutta High Court.

SG Mehta has, however, denied meeting Adhikari at his official residence. Mehta said that although Adhikari did come to his house, any meeting between them did not take place.

“He (Mehta) is apologising for not being able to meet him (Suvendu Adhikari). Who gave him (Adhikari) permission to enter his residence? SG has violated Bar Council's rules, professional ethics. We also consider this as a conflict of interest,” TMC MP Sukhendu Sekhar Ray said after meeting the President.

In the letter to the President, TMC said, “We, therefore, have reasons to believe that such a meeting has been organised to influence the outcome of criminal cases where Adhikari is an accused person, using the high offices of the solicitor general. We state that the act of the solicitor general to provide an opportunity of an audience to Suvendu Adhikari not only indicative of grave impropriety but also raises troubling doubts about his professional integrity.”

Earlier, TMC MPs Derek O'Brien, Ray and Moitra had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for removing Mehta from his post.