Published 20:23 IST, November 24th 2019
When SG Tushar Mehta told SC he didn't have instructions as to whom he was representing
During proceedings, SG Tushar Mehta said he was unsure of instructions and that he was present because a plea copy was served to him late on Saturday night
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Solicitor General Tushar Mehta raised a few eyebrows during the Supreme Court hearing on Sunday morning. Mehta, who was sent a notice the previous evening as the Supreme Court agreed to hear the Congress-NCP-Shiv Sena's pleas against the Maharashtra Governor's decisions that led to Devendra Fadnavis being sworn-in as CM, on two separate occasions said that he was present at the Sunday hearing because he was asked to be there and was unsure regarding the representations and the instructions.
'Served copy of petition, unsure of instructions'
The SG twice said, "I was served a copy of the petition late night, so I'm here. I don't have instructions for who I'm representing" in response to Justice Ramana's inquiry.
The interaction took place on Sunday morning, in a special court hearing after the Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Shiv Sena filed a petition in the Supreme Court asking for an urgent hearing after Devendra Fadnavis of the BJP took oath as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra and NCP's Ajit Pawar took oath as the Deputy Chief Minister.
At the end of the hearings, the three-judge bench of the SC comprising of Justices N V Ramana, Ashok Bhushan and Sanjiv Khanna asked Maharashtra CM Fadnavis to produce a letter showing that he had a majority and also asked the Governor to produce the letter where he invited Fadnavis to form the government. The Apex Court also issued notices to Fadnavis, Ajit Pawar, the Union of India and the State Government of Maharashtra. Tushar Mehta has to produce the letters by 10:30 am on Monday morning, when the next hearing will take place and the Supreme Court will decide on the floor-test in Maharashtra.
16:24 IST, November 24th 2019