SAD asks CM to sack Atul Nanda as AG and appoint competent person to the post
(Says Nanda, who was dismembered by Bar Ass, had compromised Punjab’s interest in key cases)
Chandigarh, February 1 – The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today asked chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh to sack Advocate General Atul Nanda immediately and appoint a competent lawyer to the post following the latter’s dismemberment from the Punjab and Haryana high court bar association.
In a statement here, SAD legislature wing leader Sharanjit Singh Dhillon said it was shocking that the Bar Association had accused Atul Nanda of threatening the august body forcing it to take this extreme step to dismember him. He said now that Nanda had lost the confidence of even the Bar Association he should be removed as Advocate General immediately.
Sharanjit Dhillon said the chief minister should also take into account that Atul Nanda was a highly incompetent lawyer who had compromised the interests of the State in critical cases resulting in losses of thousands of crores. He said Punjab lost Rs 4300 crore due to the fixed match played by the AG office and private players in the PSPCL coal washing scam as well as other disputes between PSPCL and private players. He said similarly under Nanda’s leadership the State lost several crucial cases even as the State’s position on key issues including the SYL canal issue was weakened due to the poor defense put up by the AG office under Nanda’s leadership.
Dhillon said it was high time that the chief minister realized the loss Atul Nanda had caused to the State. He said Nanda’s only claim to fame was his extreme close proximity with the chief minister due to which he had been appointed to a very important and sensitive post despite being a relatively junior lawyer with no credentials whatsoever.
The SAD leader also congratulated the high court bar association for taking a principled stand against the Advocate General. “Though it is quite late with Mr Nanda having caused a huge loss to Punjab as well as the standing of the State AG office, I feel it is never too late to correct a wrong. Now the chief minister should also take a lead from the Bar Association and sack Nanda immediately”, Dhillon added
