The Supreme Court will on Tuesday hear a petition seeking to cancel the nomination paper of the presidential nominee of the United Progressive Alliance and the Left Front, Pratibha Patil.
The PIL has alleged irregularities in a cooperative bank and a sugar mill, when she was helming them.
The PIL seeking a direction against Patil to continue as the Presidential candidate was mentioned on Monday before a bench comprising Justices Tarun Chatterjee and P K Balasubramanyan, which agreed to give it an urgent hearing.
The petition filed by advocate Manohar Lal Sharma alleged that Patil was an insolvent relating to the Sant Muktai Sugar Factory set up by her at Jalgaon against which a loan of Rs 17.7 crore was due as on 1994 when she was a part of it.
The PIL contended that Patil comes under the ambit of serious offence of criminal breach of trust as the Pratibha Mahila Sahkari Bank belonging to her and her family members had collected Rs 4,556 (a day's salary) from 30 employees each for the Kargil war victims but allegedly embezzled the entire amount and did not deposit it with the national fund.
"Because in the above said facts and circumstances it is clear that true facts have been concealed by the presidential candidate having the intention of being chosen as the President," the petition said seeking a direction for Election Commission to take an affidavit in detail from Patil about the alleged incidents.
The advocate has also raised questions whether an insolvent and a person facing charge under Sections 406 (punishment for criminal breach of trust) and 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant, or by banker...) of the Indian Penal Code was eligible for election as President.
