Another petition for cancellation of Pratibha Patil nomination in SC

New Delhi, July 12 (UNI) The Supreme Court today declined to give an early date of hearing on a petition requesting cancellation of the nomination of UPA Presidential nominee Pratibha Patil.

The bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Mr Justice R V Raveendran told the petitioner Manohar Lal Sharma, an advocate, that there was no urgency in the matter and it could come up in the normal course of hearing.

The apex court had earlier dismissed a similar petition filed by Sharma but had given him liberty to approach the appropriate authority for redressal of his grievance.

Subsequently, he approached the Election Commission with the complaint against Mrs Patil but the same was dismissed by the EC on July 5 2007.

The petitioner had filed an appeal against the order of Election Commission. According to the petitioner, Mrs Patil is facing several charges of ommission and commission such as one relating to a sugar mill, of which she was the chairperson and is being presently run by her family members.

The mill defaulted in the repayment of loan of Rs 17.5 crores and the cooperative bank has initiated proceedings for recovery of the dues through auction sale of the mill.

According to the petition, Mrs Patil is also facing allegation of giving unsecure loan to her relatives from the bank, run by her under the name Pratibha Cooperative Bank, which was later closed down by RBI. The loans are yet to be recovered.

The petitioner has also contended that more than 150 MLAs and MPs have taken loans of millions of rupees from cooperative banks and nationalized banks and have not returned theme, causing heavy losses to the state exchequer.

Ms Patil is also facing allegation of shielding her brother, who is facing murder charges. Her husband, Devi Singh Shekhawat, is facing allegation of harassing his employee, who later committed suicide.

Sharma is going to mention the matter again next week. Polling for Presidential election is going to take place on July 19.

UNI