The Supreme Court of India said on Wednesday that it would pronounce its decision on whether to undertake P. A. Sangma's petition challenging election of Pranab Mukherjee's election as the President of the country on December 5.

The Supreme Court bench of Chief Justice Altamas Kabir, Justice P Sathasivam, Justice S S Nijjar, Justice J Chelameswar and Justice Ranjan Gogoi reserved orders after a preliminary hearing that lasted for two days.

Former Lok Sabha speaker P. A. Sangma has alleged that Mukherjee was ineligible for the post of president as he held two offices of profit at the time of filing nomination papers for contesting the presidential election.

Sangma's counsel Ram Jethmalani argued that Mukherjee was the leader of the ruling party in Lok Sabha as well as the chairman of Kolkata-based Indian Statistical Institute.

On the other hand, Mukherjee's counsel Harish Salve asked the apex court to reject the petition, claiming that all documents in public domain obviously showed that Mukherjee had quit the two offices prior to filing the nomination papers for the presidential election.

Salve told the bench, "The moment he resigns from the Union Cabinet, he ceases to be the Leader of the Lok Sabha and hence, cannot be said to be holding the office of profit."

Attorney General G E Vahanvati also countered Jethmalani's arguments. He said that the post chairman of the Indian Statistical Institute wasn't an office of profit.