Controversy rages as lawyers’ bodies differ

LUCKNOW: The controversy over interview of government advocates by the state government’s law department, instead of the advocate general’s office conducting the interviews, continued to rage on Thursday.

On Thursday, Prashant Singh ‘Atal’, member-secretary of Bar Council of Uttar Pradesh and chief standing council (I) of the UP government, came out in support of the state government. “There is nothing new in the interview. This happens every time,” said Singh.

“If any government advocate gets a call from the LR office (legal remembrancer) then it is nothing new. This happens,” he added. He also pointed out that no letter (for interview) has been issued by the law department. If any government advocate went to the LR’s office then it was only for interaction and there is no harm in it, Singh asserted. The office of principal secretary (law and legal remembrancer), law department, had on April 12 had summoned government advocates to its office at Lok Bhawan for interview, thus triggering the controversy.

However, the Oudh Bar Association (OBA) of Lucknow high court has a different view on the issue. Amrendra Nath Tripathi, general secretary of Oudh Bar Association (OBA) has opposed the interview process.

“The law department has no right to interview government advocates. Only the office of advocate general can conduct this interview,” Tripathi said.

The Lucknow bench of Allahabad high court, on April 13 had questioned the chief standing counsel (CSC) of the state government about the interview of government advocates by the law department.

A division bench, headed by Justice DK Upadhyay, summoned CSC JK Sinha. The court reserved its order after hearing the issue. It may be noted that state government appoints government advocates, both in high courts and district courts, for representing it before the courts. These lawyers get remuneration from the state government. Now during its second tenure, the Yogi Adityanath government wants to conduct interviews of government advocates whom it had appointed during its first five-year tenure, before extending their appointment. The chief minister has retained the law ministry with himself this time. During first tenure of the government, Brajesh Pathak was law minister, who is now deputy CM.