Lop urges Lt. Governor to constitute high-level probe into engagement of advocates and crores of rupees of public revenue

Lop urges Lt. Governor to constitute high-level probe into engagement of advocates and crores of rupees of public revenue being squandered on them by Kejriwal Government.

Government hiding facts

Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta today urged the Lt. Governor Najbeeb Jung to constitute a High Level Enquiry Committee to probe into the engagement of large number of advocates and payment of crores of rupees as fees to them  by the Kejriwal Government . He said that the precious public exchequer is being squandered by the CM for his upmanship.  The issue is so sensitive for the Government that it is being prevented from coming in public domain.  As Leader of Opposition, he is being denied the information regarding engagement of advocates and case-wise payment made to them.  This is being done with ulterior motive and calls for indepth probe,he said

Leader of Opposition said that the Government is in the practice of appointing many advocates in a single case against the normal practice.  It has never happened in the history Delhi Government that so many advocates are engaged in a single case.  He said that even in the case in which the High Court delivered judgment yesterday on the respective roles of L.G. and CM, as many as 9 advocates with hefty fees were engaged.  On the pattern of other cases, in this case too, the advocates were paid upto Rs. 50 lacs as fees.  He said that CM is wasting crores of rupees to put forth his arbitrarily view point.  This is misuse of the Government revenue .  

Mr. Gupta said that the Kejriwal Government is mysteriously silent on the issue of advocates and case wise payment made to them. He had written a letter on 2nd May this year to Chief Secretary to know how many private lawyers have been engaged and case wise payment made and due to them till date.  CS duly acknowledged the receipt of the letter on 3rd May and replied that the matter had been referred to Principal Secretary (Law) for taking appropriate action. Not hearing for more than one month, he again wrote on 7th June reminding that even after a month, the simple information was not made available to him.  Not receiving any response, he again wrote to him on 3rd August expressing deep frustration and annoyance that the simple information had not been provided for last three months.  He had written that this kind of non-cooperative behavior on the part of the Government made him suspect that the Government is working against opposition with ulterior motives.  It is clear that the facts are deliberately hidden  

Mr. Vijender Gupta said that the Kejriwal Government has also shown undeserving generosity in case of remuneration/fee of its Standing Counsel, Public Prosecutors and pay scales of Prosecuting Officers and their related staff members.  Their revised remunerations as approved by the Cabinet were increased upto 600% which is a record in itself.  The increase was made in a haphazard manner without any reasonable justification for the hike.   The manifold increase in remuneration was made to oblige those legal practitioners who were  AAP spokesperson, supporters and sympathizers. This is part of the package of AAP to award its loyalists at the cost of exchequer Government.   Mr. Rahul Mehra who has been a hard core AAP loyalist  receives a package between 5-6 lakhs per month for his services as a Standing Counsel both Civil and Criminal.  It is rather very high from the standard payment in Government circles.

The Leader of Opposition said that there is hardly any justification for manifold increase.  The monthly retainership for Standing Counsel were increased from Rs. 25,000/- to 1,10,000/-.  Secretarial assistance to him was increased from Rs.10,000/- to 30,000/-.  The monthly remuneration for Additional Counsel was increased from Rs. 20,000/- to 90,000/- whereas Secretarial assistance increased from Rs. 5000/- to 30,000/-.  The fees of Rs. 4500/- per case was increased to exorbitantly high Rs. 8000/- per case per day.

Mr. Gupta pointed out that the fee for Panel Advocates was increased from Rs. 4500/- per case to Rs. 2000/- per case per day. The existing remuneration/fees for Additional Public Prosecutor was Rs. 800/- per case subject to maximum of Rs. 4000/-.  It was revised to Rs. 3000/- per case per day subject to maximum of Rs. 9000/- per day and maximum of Rs. 15,000/- per case.

Even the Government Officers were shown great generosity.  The pay-scale of Director (Prosecution) was revised from Rs. 15,600-39100 to Rs. 37,000-68000.  The pay scales of Assistant Public Prosecutors was   revised from Rs. 9300-34800 to 15,600-39100.

WHATEVER GOVERNANCE AND PUBLIC WELFARE IS SEEN IN DELHI IS DUE TO THE EFFORTS OF THE OFFICE OF LT. GOVERNOR AS THE KEJRIWAL GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT IS BUSY ONLY IN LITIGATIONS AND CONFRONTATIONS – SATISH UPADHYAY

 Delhi BJP President Shri Satish Upadhyay has said that it appears that Aam Aadmi Party and its Government who never had any respect for the constitutional provisions will not respect the judicial verdict also. Shri Upadhyay has said today’s statement of Aam Aadmi Party saying that people of Delhi should henceforth go to the Lt. Governor for all their problems and yesterday’s statement of Dy. CM Manish Sisodia that we will be going in for appeal against the Delhi High Court order amply make it clear that Team Kejriwal is anarchic from the day of its formation and will remain so. It appears that Kejriwal and his colleagues have taken their mandate of 67 as a right to rewrite the Constitution of India.

Shri Upadhyay has said today’s statement of AAP leader Ashutosh with reference to the Lt. Governor is a dirty continuation of their earlier diatribes against the Lt. Governor and the Central Government. It will be better that AAP Leaders understand that whatever Governance and public welfare work is seen in Delhi is due to the efforts of the office of Lt. Governor as the Kejriwal Government Secretariat is busy only in litigations and confrontations.