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Gurminder Singh appointed advocate general of Punjab
The Punjab government on Thursday appointed senior advocate Gurminder Singh as the new advocate general (AG) of the state
Chandigarh : The Punjab government on Thursday appointed senior advocate Gurminder Singh as the new advocate general (AG) of the state.
The third AG since the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) took over the reins of the state in March 2022, Singh replaced Vinod Ghai, who tendered his resignation to the state government citing “personal reasons” on Wednesday.
Singh’s name was cleared by the state cabinet at a meeting chaired by chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday. A formal notification of his appointment was issued later in the day after nod from governor Banwarilal Purohit.
The state government had sent the proposal for Singh’s appointment along with Ghai’s resignation to the Raj Bhawan on Wednesday, people privy to the development said. They said that while the governor accepted the resignation, the state government was advised to send the recommendation of the state cabinet for the new appointment in accordance with the rules of business. The chief minister called an emergency meeting of the state cabinet in which Singh’s name was cleared.
The resignation of Ghai, who was appointed to the post in July 2022, was on the cards for some time. Hindustan Times had on September 17 reported that the state government was considering replacing Ghai in the backdrop of legal setbacks in some cases, particularly dissolution of panchayats and home delivery of atta, in the Punjab and Haryana high court. The Mann government faced embarrassment as it had to withdraw the notification related to premature dissolution of panchayats in the state.
Ghai, a leading criminal lawyer took over in July 2022, after senior advocate, Anmol Rattan Sidhu, first AG in the Mann government, resigned on July 19, 2022, following differences over selection of law officers, among other issues. He had also cited “personal reasons” in his resignation letter, made public by him on July 26.
Gurminder Singh, 56, is a first-generation lawyer. He started his practice in 1989 after completing the law degree from Panjab University. He was designated senior advocate in 2014. He specialises in service litigation, constitutional and criminal matters. He has remained standing counsel for Medical Council of India, Dental Council of India, Union Service Public Commission, Punjab Vidhan Sabha and other boards and corporations of the state.
Singh has a long association with the state’s AG office as he served as assistant advocate general and deputy advocate general in the past. He left the AG office in March 2008, when he was an additional advocate general.
