Pranab files caveat before Sangma moved SC on Prez poll

Even before P A Sangma filed an election petition in the Supreme Court challenging Pranab Mukherjee's election as President, Mukherjee filed a caveat yesterday seeking a copy of the petition against him.

The caveat was filed on behalf of Mukherjee by his advocate Sameer Parekh.

The Court Registry had also informed Sangma's lawyers at the time of his filing the election petition that a caveat has been filed on behalf of Mukherjee and copies of the necessary documents requested be served to his counsel.

Sangma's lawyer Satya Pal Jain confirmed the filing of the caveat saying "we were surprised to find that there is a caveat filed on behalf of Mukherjee ahead of our election petition.

Ordinarily, it is filed in those cases where the other party is likely to make any request for interim orders and the caveat is to request the court not to pass any interim orders.
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Mukherjee's counsel confirmed the filing of caveat but refused to talk further.

Sangma had yesterday moved the Supreme Court challenging Mukherjee's election saying the veteran Congress leader was not eligible for the post as he was holding offices of profit at the time of filing his nomination for the top post.

The petition, filed by Sangma, has contended Mukherjee was holding the offices of profit as the chairman of Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Kolkata, and was also the leader of Congress Party in Lok Sabha when he had entered the Presidential race.

The tribal leader from Meghalaya, who lost the Presidential poll, has sought a direction for setting aside Mukherjee's election as President and declaring him as elected to the post.