‘Sack AG Atul Nanda’ chorus at Punjab cabinet meeting

CHANDIGARH: Punjab advocate general (AG) Atul Nanda on Tuesday came under fire from some ministers who demanded his “sacking” during the cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh.

According to sources privy to the meeting’s proceedings, jails minister Sukhjinder Randhawa was the first to raise the demand during an informal chat after the official agenda was passed. He raised questions on Nanda’s “competency”, citing a couple of high profile legal cases lost by the state in the court of law.

Randhawa, according to a cabinet minister who wished not to be named, said the state government could face an unprecedented embarrassment some day going by the manner in which AG office is functioning under Nanda. The jails minister was supported by a few other ministers, including Brahm Mohindra, Gurpreet Kangar and Bharat Bhushan Ashu, it is learnt.

Another minister, who too requested anonymity, said a minister even alleged “fixing” for seeking dates in the court between government appointed lawyers in the AG office and the opposite parties in crucial cases concerning the state’s interest.

The ministers, it is learnt, cited examples of quashing of appointments of chief principal secretary to the CM by high court, Dinkar Gupta’s as DGP by the Central Administrative Tribunal and case of coal washing charges that has contributed to steep hike in power rates in the state.

“The AG doesn’t appear personally in major cases , and senior lawyers from Delhi are being hired to represent Punjab. If senior lawyers who charge hefty fee have to represent state, what is the need to have him as AG,” a minister questioned, taking swipe at Nanda.

The ministers’ demand for sacking the state’s top law officer comes after Congress Rajya Sabha member Partap Singh Bajwa recently wanted CM to sack Nanda, citing AG’s “incompetence” to defend the interests of the state in various legal cases.

Nanda said he was not aware of any such demand being raised by ministers. “I have spoken to three ministers after the cabinet meeting and none of them told me so,” he said, while wanting to know the charges levelled by the ministers against him. “The matter of coal-washing was referred to me on December 24, 2019, after a court had taken a decision on it. About lawyers being hired from Delhi, it has not happened for the first time. Previous SAD-BJP government also hired senior lawyers to defend cases related to last rites of Divya Jyoti Jagriti Sansthan head Ashutosh Maharaj and appointment of chief parliamentary secretaries. Big criminal lawyers being hired for cases like Bargari sacrilege shows how important this case is for Punjab,” said Nanda.

› Hiring lawyers from Delhi hasn’t happened for the first time. Previous SAD-BJP government, too, hired senior lawyers to defend cases.

ATUL NANDA, advocate general