Day after Capt Amarinder’s exit, Punjab advocate general Atul Nanda resigns

Nanda was criticised for roping in lawyers from Delhi in the 2015 sacrilege cases and recently in those pertaining to ex-DGP Sumedh Singh Saini

A day after Captain Amarinder Singh’s resignation as Punjab chief minister, state advocate general Atul Nanda also put in his papers on Sunday.

Punjab advocate general Atul Nanda resigned from the post a day after Capt Amarinder Singh put in his papers as chief minister. (HT file photo)

Nanda, a senior advocate in the Supreme Court, was Capt Amarinder’s first choice for his government’s top law officer in 2017 as he was considered a “family friend” and had defended him in criminal cases registered during Parkash Singh Badal’s tenure as chief minister.

Says appointment co-terminus with Capt’s

“My appointment as advocate general was co-terminus with his (Amarinder) appointment and also according to constitutional convention, I have tendered my resignation,” a message sent out by Nanda to the state’s law officers’ team said.

Nanda termed the present team of law officers as “the best the AG office has had in recent times” and said that he got immense support from younger and senior law officers.

He thanked the members of the Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association stating that he was initially thought to be an outsider, but later welcomed as a friend and made a member of their family.

Tenure mired in controversies

Nanda’s stint as AG has been mired with controversies even though he tried to steer clear of representing the state on contentious issues. He roped in senior lawyers from Delhi in the politically sensitive 2015 sacrilege cases and recently in cases pertaining to former director general of police Sumedh Singh Saini.

But with him being the top law officer, whenever the court decisions came against the state government, his office was criticised and on a number of occasions, the demand for his resignation came from senior leaders such as former Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee chief Partap Singh Bajwa and incumbent Navjot Singh Sidhu.