Senior advocate Vinod Ghai (Express)The Punjab government is yet to notify the appointment of senior advocate Vinod Ghai as the next Advocate General — the state’s fifth in 10 months — more than 24 hours Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann made an announcement in the regard fuelling speculation that the delay was caused due to the controversy that he was a counsel against the government in several cases, including the Bargari sacrilege.
A senior government functionary said that the file regarding Ghai’s appointment has been sent to Governor Banwarilal Purohit, but he is out of station. “There is no rethink. As soon as the Governor is back, notification would follow,” the functionary said. Ghai too told The Indian Express that the notification was awaited as the Governor was out of town. The announcement naming Ghai as new AG came on Tuesday soon after CM accepted the resignation of Anmol Rattan Singh Sidhu from the post.
The Governor is also yet to accept Sidhu’s resignation due to his non availability.
The announcement sparked a sharp reaction preacher and Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee president Baljit Singh Daduwal who said “Ghai remained an advocate of Dera Chief Gurmit Ram Rahim, who is the main conspirator of the Bargari sacrilege incident,” and warned the Punjab Government that in the coming days it will have to face major opposition from the Sikh community.
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Daduwal said that a delegation of Haryana and Delhi Gurdwara management committees will soon meet the Punjab Governor over the the decision to appoint Ghai as AG. He also warned that if Punjab goes ahead with the appointment, it should be ready to face a rebellion by justice seekers in the case.
Behbal Kalan police firing victim Krishan Bhagwan Singh’s son Sukhraj Singh had also criticised the government. Stating that they had no hope left from the AAP government, he said they have called a meeting on July 31 on issue and would chalk out their plan of action.
Bargari sacrilege and Behbal Kalan police firing cases are sensitive issues in Punjab. Sources said though the government was clear that Ghai was a professional lawyer and his contesting cases could not be held against him, yet they were weighing if the issue could snowball into a major controversy.
Ghai is also a counsel for former minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu, who is being probed by the Vigilance Bureau in a case of alleged “irregularities” to the tune of Rs 2000 crore in grain-lifting tenders. He is also the counsel of former AAP minister Dr Vijay Singla, who was removed by Mann from his Cabinet on allegations of corruption. Interestingly, the government has yet not notified the appointment of Rajya Sabha member Raghav Chadha as chairman of state’s advisory panel.
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