Punjab Advocate General APS Deol on Saturday alleged that Congress state unit chief Navjot Singh Sidhu was “obstructing the functioning of the government” and his office, reported Bar and Bench.
Sidhu has been opposing Deol’s appointment to the post of advocate general as he had represented former Punjab police chief Sumedh Saini, one of the accused in a case related to the desecration of Sikh holy book Guru Granth Sahib and police firing on protestors.
Deol was also responsible for ensuring that Saini got bail in four cases registered by the Punjab Police.
Deol was appointed to the post after Charanjit Singh Channi became the chief minister. Sidhu had quit as the party’s state unit chief on September 28 as he was purportedly upset about the appointment.
On Friday, Sidhu said he has withdrawn his resignation but categorically stated that he will return to his office only when the state gets a new advocate general.
Deol resigned from the post of advocate general last week but unidentified officials told NDTV that Channi has refused to accept the resignation.
In his statement, Deo said that Sidhu’s statements have sought to derail the efforts of the state government to “ensure justice in the drugs matter and sacrilege cases”.
“There is a concerted attempt by vested interests to malign the functioning of the Congress Party in view of the coming elections in Punjab for their selfish political gain by politicising the constitutional office of the advocate general of Punjab,” the statement added.
The “drugs matter” pertains to widespread use of drugs in the state. In a plea filed before the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Lawyers for Human Rights International has alleged that the matter relates to the drug mafia operating in the state and has international links, reported The Indian Express.
The petitioner has sought opening of a sealed report that the organisation says contains the response of the state on a report submitted by former Special Task Force chief Harpreet Singh Sidhu. The High Court had asked Harpreet Sidhu to go through the report submitted by Enforcement Director Assistant Director Niranjan Singh on the drugs matter.
Addressing reporters on Friday, Navjot Singh Sidhu had asked why the Congress leadership had not released the Special Task Force report on drugs to the public. “If the government is scared of making the STF reports on drugs public, then give it to me, I will do it,” he had said.
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