Did not hold office of profit: Prez to apex court

President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that at the time of filing his nomination for the president’s post he was not holding any office of profit.

He said the moment he resigned as the finance minister he ceased to be the leader of the house in the Lok Sabha. The apex court constitution bench of Chief Justice Altamas Kabir, Justice P Sathasivam  Justice S S Nijjar, Justice J  Chelameswar and Justice Ranjan Gogoi was told that it was only a minister in the Union government who could be the leader of the house in the Lok Sabha. Senior Counsel Harish Salve, appearing for Mukherjee said this during a preliminary hearing on P A Sangma’s petition challenging Mukherjee’s election as the president.

“The leader of the house is either the prime minister or a cabinet minister appointed by the prime minister and the moment he quits the government he ceases to be the leader of the house,” Salve told the bench.