P Chidambaram has ruled out his resignation in the wake of the Madras high court decision in an election petition against him.
NEW DELHI: Union home minister P Chidambaram on Thursday ruled out his resignation in the wake of the Madras High Court decision in an election petition against him saying the verdict was not a setback for him but for his rival and the petition was one among 111 such pleas filed against members of the current Lok Sabha.
Reacting to the demands for his resignation by BJP president Nitin Gadkari and Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa, the home minister said: "I am astonished by the monumental ignorance displayed by certain political leaders. This is an election petition. There are 111 election petitions filed against members of 15th Lok Sabha."
The Madurai bench of the Madras HC on Thursday declined Chidambaram's plea for dismissal of the election petition against him by the losing AIADMK candidate R S Rajakannappan in Sivaganga constituency in Tamil Nadu in 2009 Lok Sabha polls.
But the court struck down two crucial paragraphs in Rajakannappan's petition containing allegations against returning officer, other government servants and bank officials.
Chidambaram said in the election petition against him, there were only allegations. "Issues have not yet been framed. Trial has not yet started. Not one witness has been examined. At the threshold an application was filed to strike out pleadings.
"That application has been partly allowed and para 4 and 5 which contain allegations against returning officer, police officers, other government servants and bank officials have been struck out," he said.
The home minister said he sincerely hoped that political leaders will read Order 6, Rule 16 of the Civil Procedure Code and understand the meaning of "strike out the pleadings". "If pleadings are struck out, it is a setback to the election petitioner and not to me," he said.
Asked about the claim of the lawyer for Rajakannappan that except paragraph 4 and 5, all other charges in the petition have been accepted by the court, Chidambaram said "pleadings have not been accepted. Now the trial is to start".
Replying to Jayalalithaa's charge that he (Chidambaram) had moved court for dismissal of the petition only to delay the process as he feared of facing the case, the home minister said "they (rivals) have not sought adjournments to the trial dozens of times.
"They have not approached High Court or Supreme Court dozens of times. Therefore, they are entitled to make these demands," he said.
Reacting to the demands for his resignation by BJP president Nitin Gadkari and Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa, the home minister said: "I am astonished by the monumental ignorance displayed by certain political leaders. This is an election petition. There are 111 election petitions filed against members of 15th Lok Sabha."
The Madurai bench of the Madras HC on Thursday declined Chidambaram's plea for dismissal of the election petition against him by the losing AIADMK candidate R S Rajakannappan in Sivaganga constituency in Tamil Nadu in 2009 Lok Sabha polls.
But the court struck down two crucial paragraphs in Rajakannappan's petition containing allegations against returning officer, other government servants and bank officials.
Chidambaram said in the election petition against him, there were only allegations. "Issues have not yet been framed. Trial has not yet started. Not one witness has been examined. At the threshold an application was filed to strike out pleadings.
"That application has been partly allowed and para 4 and 5 which contain allegations against returning officer, police officers, other government servants and bank officials have been struck out," he said.
The home minister said he sincerely hoped that political leaders will read Order 6, Rule 16 of the Civil Procedure Code and understand the meaning of "strike out the pleadings". "If pleadings are struck out, it is a setback to the election petitioner and not to me," he said.
Asked about the claim of the lawyer for Rajakannappan that except paragraph 4 and 5, all other charges in the petition have been accepted by the court, Chidambaram said "pleadings have not been accepted. Now the trial is to start".
Replying to Jayalalithaa's charge that he (Chidambaram) had moved court for dismissal of the petition only to delay the process as he feared of facing the case, the home minister said "they (rivals) have not sought adjournments to the trial dozens of times.
"They have not approached High Court or Supreme Court dozens of times. Therefore, they are entitled to make these demands," he said.
