3 TMC MPs allege ‘impropriety’ by SG, Mehta denies charge

NEW DELHI: Three TMC MPs on Friday wrote to the PM seeking removal of solicitor general Tushar Mehta, who represents the CBI in the Narada and Saradha chit fund scams in constitutional courts, for allegedly committing impropriety by meeting BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, an accused in the two scams.
Derek O’Brien, Sukhendu Sekhar Roy and Mahua Moitra alleged that Adhikari met Mehta on Thursday immediately after meeting home minister Amit Shah and that it appeared the meeting was “organised to influence the outcome of matters where Adhikari is an accused” by using the SG’s office.
However, the SG rejected the charge of impropriety, asserting that he never met Adhikari. Responding to TOI’s query, he wrote, “Adhikari did come to my residence-cum-office unannounced on Thursday at around 3pm. Since I was already in a pre-scheduled meeting in my chamber, my staff requested him to sit in the waiting room and offered him a cup of tea. When my meeting got over and my PPS informed me about Adhikari’s arrival, I requested my PPS to convey to Adhikari my inability to meet him and apologise on my behalf as he had to wait. Adhikari thanked my PPS and left without insisting to meet me. The question of my meeting with Adhikari therefore does not arise.”
The MPs said the SG’s “meeting with Adhikari not only reeks of impropriety but also raises questions of integrity and taints the post of SG”. They said such a meeting between an accused and the second-most senior law officer of India, who is advising such investigating agency by whom Adhikari is being investigated, is in direct conflict with the statutory duties of the SG.
The SG has been in TMC’s crosshairs since he, appearing for CBI, alleged in the Calcutta HC and the SC that CM Mamata Banerjee had led a crowd of TMC workers to the CBI office on May 17 to prevent the agency from physically producing TMC leaders arrested in Narada scam before the trial court. He had also alleged that state law minister Moloy Ghatak had thronged the trial court with TMC supporters to overwhelm the trial judge, who had granted bail to the TMC leaders. The HC is seized of the CBI petition in this case.
During a recent SC hearing on petitions by Mamata and Ghatak challenging the HC’s refusal to accept their “delayed” response affidavits in the Narada case, the SG had said that the SC could allow the duo to make fresh applications for acceptance of their affidavits before the HC as it was not a case where CBI should contest their pleas in the SC. The SC bench had termed SG's stand “very fair”.