DEHRADUN: The Uttarakhand government on Saturday removed six government counsels from its panel for their “vacillating attitude while appearing for the state in the high court”. The decision follows chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami’s instructions and the government said new appointments will be made on the basis of merit.
The order was issued by additional secretary Sudhir Kumar Singh. It read: “Appointment of law officers representing the state in the high court, as decided by the government after due consideration, is terminated with immediate effect.”
Those sacked were additional advocate general, deputy advocate general, additional chief standing counsel, standing counsel, additional government counsel and brief holder.
This is the first time since the existence of Uttarakhand that such a large number of lawyers representing the state have been removed from the panel at one go. The decision was taken following allegations of weak advocacy in many HC cases.
According to a source privy to details, Dhami instructed law officers to ensure that new appointments to the panel should be made purely on the basis of their talent and capability.