The Delhi Government's Law Department has refused to clear lawyers' bills due to alleged "non-compliance of financial rules" and violation of terms of their engagements by the Law Minister.

Coming down on the move Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that stopping payment of lawyers engaged by the Government was "wrong" and charged Lieutenant-Governor and the BJP with obstructing the AAP Government's works in Delhi. 

The bills refused by the department include the fees of two senior advocates — Rs 15.5 lakh and Rs 9.8 lakh — over "blatant departure from rules" formulated by the AAP Government itself for engagement of experienced advocates on record, the sources said. "The Principal Secretary (Law) has submitted a report to the Law Minister, Delhi L-G and Chief Minister under Rule 57 of the Transaction of Business of GNCT of Delhi Rules, communicating inability of the department to process the bills due to violation of rules," one of the sources said. 

The department has also disagreed on the appointment of several senior advocates in various matters, directly by Law Minister Gahlot, without following "due process", the sources further claimed. Kejriwal said people do not vote for those creating roadblocks in the works of the Government.

 They just keep creating roadblocks, he alleged, adding first they stopped yoga classes and now they have stopped payments to lawyers. "L-G has stopped so many projects in last six months and they will see the result of the obstruction soon in MCD (Municipal Corporation of Delhi) polls," he said, adding people favour those who work and not those who create obstructions. 

Noting that the BJP has eight MLAs in Delhi, Kejriwal said if the party kept on obstructing works of the Delhi Government, AAP (Aam Admi Party) will win back these seats in the next elections.

Sources said, according to the laid down process for engagement and payment of bills of senior lawyers engaged by the government in the high court and the Supreme Court, the fee payable to them is to be fixed prior to hiring them and seeking its approval from the finance department.

After this, the approval of the law minister and then final approval by the lieutenant governor are required for engaging any advocate for government cases, they added.  The law minister "directly" engaged a senior advocate through an "unofficial note" dated May 28, 2021, in a case related to the AAP government's scheme for providing insurance benefit to lawyers with voter identity cards in the high court, sources said. The Delhi government lost the case, they said.

 An amount of Rs 15.5 lakh was owed to another senior advocate of the Supreme court who was hired in a writ petition in the high court, concerning suo motu cognizance taken by the court over non-appointment of presiding officers in various family courts in the city despite its directions, they said.  A bill amount of Rs 15.5 lakh was raised by the senior advocate submitted "directly" to the law minister, sources claimed