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DS Patwalia resigns as advocate general of Punjab
During his three-month tenure, Patwalia played crucial role in initiating action on STF report on the state’s drug problem
Senior advocate Deepinder Singh Patwalia on Friday resigned as advocate general (AG) of Punjab, a day after the Congress was routed out of power by the Aam Aadmi Party in the state assembly elections. Patwalia had replaced senior advocate APS Deol in November last year.
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“In view of the longstanding constitutional convention, I hereby tender my resignation from the post of advocate general, Punjab,” Patwalia wrote in the letter addressed to governor Banwarilal Purohit on Friday.
A service matters lawyer, Patwalia is the son of former Supreme Court judge Kuldeep Singh and the younger brother of Supreme Court advocate PS Patwalia, a former additional solicitor general of India.
He was appointed in quick succession on November 19, 2021, due to opposition from the within the Congress against Deol, which led to his resignation. Deol’s appointment too was done by the Charanjit Singh Channi government after senior advocate and Supreme Court lawyer Atul Nanda resigned days after Captain Amarinder Singh stepped down as chief minister in September 2021.
During his brief stint as advocate general, Patwalia played a crucial role in initiating action on the special task force (STF) report on the drug problem in Punjab, awaiting action since 2018. It later resulted in the registration of a criminal case against Akali leader and former Punjab minister Bikram Singh Majithia. Criticism over inaction by the Capt Amarinder Singh-led government on STF reports had led to his resignation.
However, on the 2015 sacrilege cases, another case in which Capt Amarinder and his advocate general’s role was criticised for the slow pace of probe and “poor defence” in courts, Patwalia could not achieve much, primarily due to his short tenure.
