After sacking public prosecutors and assistant public prosecutors, the Governor’s administration has decided to terminate engagement of all the standing counsels representing the state in subordinate courts.
An official told Greater Kashmir that State AdministrativeCouncil (SAC) has given its go-ahead for disengaging all standing counselshired by the government.
“Presently, the number of standing counsels, who areentitled to honorarium and other charges, is around 300-350. The previous government had engaged 500-600lawyers as government counsels in different courts,” the official said, addingthat these appointments were made on recommendations of ministers, legislatorsand other political functionaries.
The action comes after government disengaged all 44 publicprosecutors and assistant public prosecutors, who were representing stategovernment in criminal cases in session courts.
The official said government has also decided to streamlinethe process of engagement of standing counsels. “There is no limit onappointment of standing counsels. Nowwe have decided to restrict their number to 120,” he said.
A junior officer, wishing not to be named, said someministers in the previous government had turned the Law department into recruitment agency by engaging hundreds oflawyers as standing counsels.
” We don’t have any idea about their identity andqualification. We were compelled to issue orders,”he said.
Immediately after thePDP-BJP government’s alliance for power-sharing in the state came to an end,Advocate General and other top law officers were asked to put in their papers.Apart from them, 27 political appointees engaged in various boards and corporationsby the previous PDP-BJP government had also resigned.