Solicitor general among lawyers in riots case; Delhi government slams LG

NEW DELHI: The home department of the Delhi government has notified the panel of six special public prosecutors proposed by Delhi Police after lieutenant governor Anil Baijal rejected the state cabinet’s decision on appointment of lawyers to argue the northeast Delhi riots cases. However, the bitterness of the AAP government over the LG’s move came through when deputy CM Manish Sisodia called the appointments a “misuse of power by the LG”.
The panel of prosecutors includes solicitor general Tushar Mehta, additional solicitor general Aman Lekhi, Chetan Sharma, SV Raju, Amit Mahajan and Rajat Nair.
The notification was issued late on Thursday following multiple rounds of confrontation between the LG and the AAP government over who would represent the state in the Delhi high court and Supreme Court for arguing in the northeast Delhi riots cases.
“They shall conduct all court proceedings, including bails, trials, appeals, miscellaneous matters, applications and writ petitions filed by the accused parties or NGOs in various courts in connection with the 85 FIRs that have been registered in respect of and related to the anti-CAA protests and riots cases,” said the notification.
Sisodia didn’t mince his words in condemning the LG’s decision. “Supreme Court has stated that the LG should use his special powers in the rarest of rare cases. This was definitely not a rare case. Approving Delhi Police’s choice of lawyers to argue the northeast Delhi riots cases shows misuse of power,” he added.
Calling the appointment of lawyers chosen by the police wrong, home minister Satyendar Jain said, “We want the strictest punishment for all the culprits, but no innocent should be punished or harassed.”
On July 10, Delhi Police had sent a proposal to the AAP government to appoint six senior lawyers, including Tushar Mehta and Aman Lekhi, to represent the prosecution in 85 cases of communal riots and anti-CAA protests in the Delhi high court and Supreme Court. The Delhi government rejected the proposal saying that its standing counsel, Rahul Mehra, and his team were “capable” of representing the state.
The LG then wrote to Kejriwal asking him to take a decision on the appointments within a week. Subsequently, the Delhi cabinet met on Tuesday and rejected the Delhi Police’s panel of lawyers. The home department was asked to prepare a panel of the best lawyers in the country.
Rejecting the cabinet’s decision, the LG on Thursday asked the home department to notify the panel of lawyers suggested by Delhi Police. That left the state government with no option but to notify the panel .