Office-of-profit: Pranab refutes charges in SC

President Pranab Mukherjee has denied the allegations levelled against him by former colleague PA Sangma who was the NDA's presidential candidate. HT reports.

President Pranab Mukherjee has denied the allegations levelled against him by former colleague PA Sangma who was the NDA's presidential candidate.

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In his reply to Sangma's petition in the Supreme Court, Mukherjee submitted that he was not holding any office of profit at the time of filing his nomination papers and that it was incorrect to allege that his resignation letter sent to the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) in Kolkata was forged.

Mukherjee was the institute's chairman and claimed he had sent across his resignation letter on June 20, 2012 to its director MGK Menon.

According to the President, the letter carried his short signature.

"The petitioner, as many people do, on some occasions signs his letters as PK Mukherjee and on formal documents, appends his signature as his full name- Pranab Mukherjee. The signature on the resignation letter is his short signature," Mukherjee stated in his affidavit, filed through his counsel Samir Parekh.

He further said the objections filed by him to Sangma's petition before the election commission and the documents filed there bore his full signature.

Sangma had on August 21 moved the Supreme Court challenging PranabMukherjee's election as the President, contending he was holding offices of profit and hence not eligible to contest for the post.