TMC MPs submit memo to President demanding removal of Tushar Mehta
KOLKATA/New Delhi: On a day when Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs submitted a memorandum to President Ram Nath Kovind seeking immediate removal of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta for his alleged meeting with tainted BJP MLA Suvendu Adhikari, Trinamool all-India general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Monday sarcastically stated that Mehta could continue serving as the saffron party's secret general but not as the country's law officer.
"Even after 72 hours, Mr Tushar Mehta, Hon'ble SG of India, has failed to release the 20 mins of CCTV footage of his OWN HOUSE to corroborate his OWN STATEMENT. Mr SG, with such weak defence you can continue serving as @BJP4India's SECRET GENERAL, not INDIA'S SOLICITOR GENERAL," tweeted Abhishek. Earlier, Abhishek had tweeted on Sunday requesting Mehta to present the CCTV footage of his residence to clear the doubts about the meeting held between him and Adhikari, whose name has surfaced in both Narada and Saradha cases.
Earlier in the day, TMC MPs—Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, chief whip of Trinamool Legislature party in Rajya Sabha, and Mohua Moitra, party's Lok Sabha MP—met the President at Rashtrapati Bhavan and submitted the memorandum.
While addressing the press after meeting the President, Sukhendu Sekhar Roy said it was really astonishing that Suvendu Adhikari had gone to official residence of Tushar Mehta "unannounced." "Can any person go to the house of the Solicitor General without any prior appointment?" he asked, adding "it is quite possible that the CCTV footage has been manipulated."
Mohua Moitra said it was evident that when Adhikari's vehicle was driven to the residence of the Solicitor General, the security guards were seen talking over the walkie-talkie, which indicated that he had an appointment with Mehta.
After Trinamool Congress had raised the matter, Mehta issued a statement that he did not meet Adhikari who had waited for 20 minutes or so and left. Mehta apologised for not meeting Adhikari because of his busy schedule.
"How can the Solicitor General who has been appointed as the Special Public Prosecutor by the CBI, can apologise to a person who has been accused in both Narada and Saradha multi-crore scam?" experts asked.
In Narada sting operation, Adhikari was seen taking money. In the Saradha multi-crore scam, Sudipta Sen, the prime accused, had given a written statement that he had paid money to Adhikari. Moreover, on July 1, Adhikari went to the house of Mehta after meeting the Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
"A meeting between an accused person is a grave criminal offence. The Solicitor General of India, who is advising the very investigating agencies in both these cases, meeting the accused of the same cases, is a blatant conflict of interest. Such a meeting makes a total mockery of the criminal justice system in our country and would only serve to destroy the common man's faith in the Judiciary," Moitra added.
