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Partap Bajwa writes open letter to CM, demands AG Nanda’s ouster
Says the AG’s incompetence in defending the state’s interests was reflected in the repeated failures faced by the government in courts in various important cases
Continuing with his attack on the Captain Amarinder Singh-led state government, Congress’s Rajya Sabha MP Partap Bajwa on Friday demanded that advocate general (AG) Atul Nanda should be sacked with an immediate effect for his incompetent handling of cases taken up in the interests of the state.
In an open letter to Amarinder, Bajwa said the AG’s incompetence in defending the state’s interests was reflected in the repeated failures faced by the government in courts in various important cases.
Bajwa said Nanda sought multiple adjournments in the public interest litigation (PIL) on drug menace in Punjab without paying heed to the havoc the problem is causing in the state, exposing his insensitivity to the issue.
“Till date, the sealed reports submitted by the special task force (STF) chief and the court appointed-special investigation team (SIT) have not been opened. The letter would expose those responsible for the drug menace in Punjab. It was the anti-drug campaign that drove the Congress to power in the 2017 assembly polls,” said Bajwa.
He also attacked the AG for Punjab losing in the Supreme Court the case involving loss of thousands of crores to Punjab’s exchequer due to transportation of coal. “The Punjab and Haryana High Court has already set aside the appointment of Suresh Kumar as chief principal secretary to CM, but he is holding the public office without authority,” he said.
The Rajya Sabha MP said while quashing of the mining e-auction notice issued by the state in August 2018, the high court had directed that a fresh auction be held after defining mining areas within three months.
“In the matter related to sacrilege cases, the accused were released on bail. Even the investigation being carried out by the CBI or Punjab Police was botched up,” he claimed.
“Nepotism is against the state’s interests and Nanda’s appointment is a perfect example of this, as his appointment was solely guided by his proximity to you. You should make it open as how much money the state government spent on refurbishing the AG’s office and on hiring lawyers to contest the cases,” Bajwa said.
