Delhi cabinet to meet on Tuesday, decide on lawyers for riots cases

nNEWDELHI: The Delhi government will hold a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday to decide if it approves the panel of lawyers proposed by the Delhi Police for the northeast Delhi riot cases, senior officials in the home department said on Thursday.

The decision to hold a cabinet meeting comes after Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal last week gave the Delhi government a week to decide on the panel of lawyers it wants to appoint to represent the state in the cases related to the riots and the anticitizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests.

The L-G, in his letter to chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on July 16, had said: “Since the difference of opinion still persists, I would request the chief minister to expeditiously refer the matter to the Council of Ministers under Rule 49 of TBR of GNCTD, 1992 with Section 45 (c) of the Government of NCT Act, 1991. In view of urgency and sensitivity of matter, it is requested that the decision of Cabinet be communicated expeditiously, preferably within a week.”

However, the Delhi government, despite holding a Cabinet meeting this week, did not take up the matter and approved only its flagship doorstep delivery of ration scheme.

“Since the time given by the L-G lapsed on Thursday, the Delhi government decided to hold the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. While the Delhi government is demanding its own panel of lawyers led by senior counsel Rahul Mehra to be tasked with the job for a free and fair trial, the L-G wants the Delhi government to approve the lawyer panel selected by the Delhi Police,” a senior official said.

The L-G’S office did not respond to requests for comment.