Farmers Movement Archive

State vs Centre as LG dismisses Delhi govt lawyers in R-Day cases

The latest tussle between the Centre and the Delhi government has intensified with Lieutenant Governor (LG) Anil Baijal dismissing the public prosecutors appointed by the Delhi government to argue cases related to violence during a January 26 rally taken out by farmers protesting against three controversial new farm laws.The office of chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, which confirmed this development on Thursday, said the Delhi Cabinet will meet on Friday to take up the issue.“The LG has dismissed the team of special public prosecutors appointed by the Delhi government with regard to the cases concerning the farmers agitation. The LG has directed that the prosecutors suggested by the Delhi Police be approved. So, we have called a Cabinet meeting regarding this matter. The Delhi government had set up a panel of lawyers to ensure unbiased hearing in the agitation of farmers, who have been protesting against three contentious farm laws. Delhi’s home minister Satyendar Jain dismissed the list of lawyers suggested by the Delhi Police,” the CM’s office said in a statement on Thursday.Delhi Police reports to the Union home ministry through the LG.A senior official in the LG’s office said the matter pertained to the violence, and disrespect to the national flag on January 26, 2021; and not farmers protest.“It has nothing to do with ‘farmers protest’ as is being deliberately made out. Individuals with predetermined agenda and vested interests deliberately carried out acts on January 26, 2021 in full media presence that were not only an affront to national morale but aimed at bringing shame to India internationally,” the official said.But the CM’s office said in its statement that the LG was “pressuring” the Delhi government into approving lawyers chosen by the Delhi Police. “Delhi’s home minister Satyendar Jain sent details of Delhi government’s panel to the LG. The LG has not approved it even though the work of Delhi government’s lawyers has earlier been appreciated by all, including the LG,” the statement said.Last week, Raghav Chadha, the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) national spokesperson, alleged that the LG’s and the police’s request was part of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s “vengeful attempts to harass and defame innocent farmers”.“No complaint against the Delhi government’s lawyers has been received. Still, the LG wants to replace them with BJP’s lawyers to teach the farmers a lesson,” Chadha said.On February 26, Delhi Police sent a proposal to the state government’s home department seeking the appointment of 11 law officers to represent the state in all cases related to the farmers’ agitation. The Delhi government responded that it wanted its existing team of prosecutors to argue the cases.On July 1, Baijal and Jain held a meeting in which the matter could not be resolved. On July 2, Baijal wrote a letter to Kejriwal, requesting him to convene a meeting of the council of ministers to decide upon the disagreement in a week.Referring to the meeting, the official in the LG’s office said, “Apart from earlier disagreement on file, the LG in the said meeting on July 1, 2021, with the home minister, clearly and categorically expressed his disagreement at the minister turning down the valid request by the Delhi Police for appointment of special prosecutors. The same was reiterated and clearly conveyed in a subsequent letter from LG to the CM, requesting him convene a meeting of the council of ministers to consider and decide the said disagreement at the earliest. The Cabinet, if at all, is doing just that.”The Delhi government and the LG had a similar disagreement last year over the appointment of state lawyers to argue the north-east Delhi riots cases.

Hindustan Times

16-07-2021

Delhi