Is Mr.Pranab Mukherjee holding Offices of Profit as Complained by Mr.P.A.Sangma?

In the presidential election to be held on 19th July 2012 in India, Mr.P.A.Sangma is contesting with NDA’s support against the UPA’s candidate Mr.Pranab Mukherjee.

After both the contestants filed their During the process of the filing of nominations for the presidential elections, Mr.P.A.Sangma complained that Mr. Pranab is holding an office of profit being the Chairman of the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata, and demanded the presidential election returning officer to cancel the nomination of Mr.Pranab Mukherjee.
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The Government and the UPA told that Mr. Pranab Mukherjee resigned from the Chairmanship of ISI on 20th June 2012 itself. The Director of the ISI also confirmed that Mr.Pranab Mukherjee had already resigned from the Chairmanship of ISI on 20th June 2012 and the President of ISI had accepted the resignation on the same day. Further, the director of ISI told that the Chairmanship of ISI is not an office of profit, as there is no remuneration being paid to the Chairman of ISI.

After receiving the reply from Mr. Pranab Mukherjee that he had already resigned from all the posts and positions held, including the Chairmanship of the ISI, Kolkata, the returning officer rejected Mr.Sangma’s complaint.

Mr. P.A.Sangma demanded for the copies of the counter of Mr. Pranab Mukherjee and the returning officer provided the copies of the proceedings as demanded.

On perusing the proceedings papers, Mr.P.A.Sangma’s side represents that the signature of Mr. Pranab Mukherjee in the said resignation letter dated 20th June 2012 which is not in the letter head of Mr.Pranab, varies from his original signature, and even from the signature on the reply letter and claims that the resignation letter is a fabricated one, created by the UPA- Government and the ISI, after Mr. P.A.Sangma’s claim for the cancellation of Mr.Pranab Mukherjee’s nomination on the office of profit grounds.

Mr.Pranab Mukherjee’s side agreed that there is difference in signature on the resignation letter and the signatures on the nomination papers and the reply letter. However, Mr.Pranab Mukherjee maintains that he only signed his resignation letter of ISI Chairmanship.

However, the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata claims that the signature on the resignation letter is the same as the signature that he uses as the Chairman of the ISI- Council and the ISI is ready to face even if Mr.Sangma’s side go to a court of law for this purpose.

According to law, it is necessary and sufficient that the signature must have been put by the signing person’s hand.

The signature of a person need not be identical always, as insisted by Indian Post Office Savings Bank Officials and by some Banks, who are very particular about identical signatures to safe-guard the funds of the customers..

The ‘Signature Experts” will find out whether reallly Mr.Pranab Mukherjee had signed in the letter of resignation of ISI Chairmanship, or any other person forged the signature.

In office matters, the officials used to use different signatures:

sign in full form,
use short signature and
put initials.

Expressing dissatisfaction over the Returning Officer’s dismissal of their complaint, a three-member delegation on behalf of Sangma met the Election Commission, which gave them time to present their written submission on their demand by Monday evening.

Mr. PA Sangma sought then Election Commission’s intervention for a fresh probe into his objections against the candidature of UPA nominee Mr.Pranab Mukherjee, levelling new allegations that he was still holding the following two more offices of profit:

Vice President of Birbhum Institute of Engineering and Technology and
Chairman of Rabindra Bharti Society, which forms the Rabindra Bharti University.

After the Elections Commission’s action on the above issue:

Either the nomination of Mr.Pranab Mukherjee will be declared as invalid or
The presidential election processes will continue and the results will be declared

If and when Mr. Pranab Mukherjee is declared elected as the president, Mr. Sangma will challenge Mr.Pranab’s election in the Supreme Court of India.

Mr.Pranab Mukherjee must prove that he had already resigned from all the offices of profit held by him, including the above two pointed out by Mr.P.A.Sangma.

It appears that the “Final Contest” and the “Final Results” for the President of India from 25th July 2012 will be in the Supreme Court of India.

“Sathyameva Jayadhe” /”Truth Alone Triumphs”