New list of govt counsel sparks fresh controversy

LUCKNOW: Ending three months of suspense, the Yogi Adityanath government on Tuesday released the much-awaited list of government counsel. The state government announced a panel of 234 government advocates for Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court. The fresh list, however, kicked off another round of controversy as several lawyers who were allegedly associated with the Samajwadi Party (SP) also managed to find a place in it.

LUCKNOW: Ending the three months of suspense, the Yogi Adityanath government on Tuesday released the muchawaited list of government counsel.

The state government announced a panel of 234 government advocates for Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court.

The list has three chief standing counsel, 32 additional chief standing counsel, 59 standing counsel, 99 brief holders (civil) and 41 brief holders (criminal).

The fresh list, however, kicked off another round of controversy as several lawyers who were allegedly associated with the Samajwadi Party (SP) also managed to find a place in it.

Many with BJP and RSS affiliations who were hoping to make the cut failed yet again.

Earlier, the list of advocates released by the government on July 7 was also opposed as it had many SP loyalists instead of advocates associated with the ruling party.

After much opposition and a plea challenging the list in high court, the Yogi government decided to review it.

A division bench of chief justice Dilip Babasaheb Bhosale and Justice Vivek Chaudhary had directed the state government to revise the same as the petitioner, one MS Pawar, had pointed out some discrepancies.

In the revised list, 40 names from the old list have been removed.

However, on around half of the posts of additional chief standing counsel, lawyers with alleged SP links were named.

A four-member review committee headed by advocate general Raghvendra Singh has given its consent to the new list.

“This list is no better. It still has names of SP loyalists and that too on prominent posts,” said a senior advocate.