'SG's explanation came after meet with Adhikari revealed'

KOLKATA: Ahead of the meeting between President Ram Nath Kovind and Trinamool MPs in New Delhi on Monday, Trinamool Congress (TMC) Rajya Sabha MP Derek O' Brien alleged on social media that Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had come up with a 'post-facto explanation' only after the incident of the law officer's alleged meeting with tainted BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari came to the light.

Reacting to the alleged meeting, O' Brien tweeted: "Mr Solicitor General, 1. You gave a post-facto explanation after story broke 2. Conflict of Interest 3. Even a Public Prosecutor (leave alone high office of SG!) cannot represent or advise the accused 4. Impropriety. Act in a fair manner. Not as a BJP lackey." The TMC MP claimed that the statement of the Solicitor General that he did not meet Adhikari who came to his office waited for some time and then left, was made only after Trinamool Congress raised the issue.

"The meeting amounts to violation of Rule 8(1) (b) of the Law Officers ( Condition of Service) Rules, 1987 which prohibits a law officer from advising any party against the Government of India or a Public Sector Undertaking, or in cases in which he likely to be called upon to advice, or appear," O' Brien stated, adding "if a Public Prosecutor has the duty to be impartial, certainly the same level of ethics shall apply to a Solicitor General."

Meanwhile, the Trinamool MPs will meet the President to demand removal of the law officer. Earlier, TMC MPs— Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, Derek O' Brien and Mohua Moitra—had written a letter to the Prime Minister demanding Mehta's removal for his alleged meeting with Adhikari. They alleged that the meeting 'reeks of impropriety' as Adhikari was involved in both Narada and Saradha cases.

Mehta has appeared for the CBI in both the cases in Calcutta High Court. The MPs alleged that as Adhikari was involved in both the cases, Mehta's meeting with him was in direct conflict of interest with the statutory duties of the Solicitor General.

Trinamool all India general secretary, Abhishek Banerjee, had demanded that the CCTV footage should be disclosed to remove doubts from the minds of the people over the meeting.

TMC MP, Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, had questioned how Adhikari could go to the house of the Solicitor General without any appointment.