KHATKAR KALAN (NAWANSHAHR): Hours before Navjot Singh Sidhu quit from the post of Punjab Congress president, chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Tuesday defended his decision to appoint senior advocate A P S Deol as new advocate general (AG) of the state.
The decision to appoint Doel as the top law officer of the state had drawn flak from different quarters as he was counsel of former DGP Sumedh Saini and IG Paramran Singh Umranangal and got the former blanket bail from Punjab and Haryana high court. Punjab BJP has already taken exception to Deol’s appointment and scores of Sikh netizens have also criticized the move and they even ran a hashtag against Channi’s decision with #ChanniSavingSumedhSaini.
Channi explained: “An advocate works for somebody professionally. After he has been appointed by the government, he will work for the government now. He remained an advocate for Captain Amarinder Singh also for close to 20 years, when cases were registered against him during the Badal regime. Nothing more should be read into this appointment.” The CM was speaking to mediapersons after paying tributes at martyr Bhagat Singh memorial at Khatkar Kalan.
Asked about questions being raised about the induction of Gurkirat Kotli and Rana Gurjit Singh in his cabinet, the CM said Kotli came from late CM Beant Singh’s family who sacrificed his life for the state and national security. However, he remained silent on Rana Gurjit Singh’s elevation even as he flanked him.
Meanwhile, Punjab assembly speaker Rana KP Singh, who was accompanying Channi, also jumped in to defend the appointment of Deol as AG, stating that every lawyer had a contract with his client. Deol would have hundreds of contracts as a senior lawyer, including the former DGP and IG (Paramraj Singh Umranangal also an accused in Kotkapura firing case) and now he would work for the government after he had been engaged as AG. “No controversy should be made out of the issue,” he said.
