The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court has directed the Uttar Pradesh government to furnish detailed information on the appointment of government lawyers in the High Court and its Lucknow bench.
A Division Bench comprising Justice Rajan Roy and Justice Prashant Kumar passed the order while hearing four public interest litigations (PILs) challenging the appointment process. The court has also asked both sides to produce judgments previously delivered on similar matters during the next hearing scheduled for September 22.
PILs Question Transparency
The PILs, including one filed by Mahendra Singh Pawar in 2017, have sought greater transparency in the engagement of government counsel. They also demand amendments to the 1975 Legal Remembrancer (LR) Manual that currently governs appointments.
State’s Stand
Appearing via video conference, Advocate General Ajay Kumar Mishra defended the process, stating that the appointments were carried out by a three-member committee headed by the Advocate General.
Petitioners’ Objections
Counsel for the petitioners argued that the appointment of over 2,000 government lawyers could not have been properly scrutinised by the committee. They alleged that the absence of a clear procedure has led to nepotism and favoritism in the selection process.
Court’s Direction
The Bench directed the state’s Chief Standing Counsel, Shailendra Kumar Singh, to place on record the complete list and details of government lawyers appointed to the High Court so far.
The matter will be taken up again on September 22, when both sides are expected to present prior rulings related to the issue.
