West Bengal’s TMC on Friday asked PM Modi to remove SG Mehta (Solicitor General Tushar Mehta) from his post over his meeting with Suvendu Adhikari, the former TMC-now BJP leader.
Details
A new horizon has emerged in the TMC political landscape where the Solicitor General of the nation, Mr. Tushar Mehta, has been under the fire for allegedly meeting the former TMC-now BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari.
For the unversed – Suvendu Adhikari is one of the accused in the Narada Scam and the Saradha Chit Fund scam which is under investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Directorate of Enforcement (ED). Meanwhile, Tushar Mehta serves as the Supreme Court solicitor general and advises the Centre’s investigation in the above-mentioned cases.
On Friday, reports of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari meeting Solicitor General Tushar Mehta emerged. Citing the reports and tweets made in the regard, TMC MP wrote a letter to the Indian Prime Minister and asked him to remove Mehta from his post of the SG. The Trinamool party alleged that the meeting between Mehta and Adhikari is in direct conflict of the interest with the Solicitor General’s duties.
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Mehta – Adhikari Meet: TMC MP’s write letter to PM Modi
In a letter that’s penned and signed by prominent TMC leaders and MP Derek O’Brien, Sukhendu Shekhar Roy & Mahua Moitra, the party has sought “necessary steps for the removal of Sri. Tushar Mehta from the post of Solicitor General”.
We strongly condemn Shri Tushar Mehta's meeting with Shri @SuvenduWB, who has been accused in various offences that are currently being investigated.
This raises some serious questions about the integrity of the post held by the Learned Solicitor General. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/PQTKtNR7La
— All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) July 2, 2021
The letter reads-
“…various news reports containing videos have been circulated from which we have been made aware that Suvendu Adhikari, an accused in various offences being investigated by the CBI and ED, and a politician belonging to the Bharatiya Janta Party, had meetings with Sri. Tushar Mehta, Learned Solicitor General of India at his residence.”
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“Adhikari accused in Narada Case and Saradha Chit Fund Case”: TMC Letter
The TMC in its letter further wrote that-
“Suvendu Adhikari is accused in various criminal cases of cheating, illegal gratification, and bribery etc.”
Then the party lays out the criminal cases Adhikari is under scrutiny for.
“Two such matters are the
1) Narada Case being investigated by the CBI and ED.
2) Saradha Chit Fund case, being investigated by the CBI and ED.”
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“Meeting in direct conflict of interest”: TMC MPs
The letter further went into the details on the duties of a Solicitor General and how there was a conflict of interest due to the meeting.
“The Solicitor General of India is the second-highest law officer of the Country after the Attorney General of India and advises the Government of India and its various organs in crucial legal matters. Such meeting between an accused in grave offences, with the Learned Solicitor General who is advising such investigating agencies is in direct conflict of interest with the statutory duties of the Learned Solicitor General of India.”
“We have, therefore, reasons to believe that such a meeting has been organised to influence the outcome of matters where Suvendu Adhikari is an accused, using the high offices of the Learned Solicitor General,”
the TMC letter mentioned. Thereby, the party demanded from the Prime Minister that Tushkar Mehta be removed from his posts in light of these developments,” the letter further said.
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“Suvendu Adhikari came unannounced”: SG Mehta
Meanwhile, a statement from the Solicitor General dismissed the allegations that he met BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari and said that although Adhikari did came to his residence, there was no meeting that took place.
According to a Hindustan Times report, the statement by Mr. Mehta read -“Shri Suvendhu Adhikari did come to my residence cum office yesterday at around 3pm, unannounced. Since I was already in a pre-scheduled meeting in my chamber, my staff requested him to sit in the waiting room of my office building and offered him a cup of tea. When my meeting was over and my staff informed me about his arrival, I requested my staff to convey to Mr Adhikari my inability to meet him and apologise as he had to wait,
“Mr Adhikari thanked my staff and left without insisting on meeting me. The question of my meeting Mr Adhikari, therefore, does not arise,”
-the statement further added.
