While many are seeing Amar Preet Singh Deol’s reported resignation as Punjab Advocate-General a win for the State Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu who had all along been seeking his removal from the post of the State’s top law officer, the former has made it clear that he has not put in his papers.
Punjab’s political and legal circles, since morning, were abuzz with the reports of Deol succumbing to the powerful political pressure and resigning from the post of the Advocate-General. However, the senior advocate in the evening maintained that he has not resigned, while accusing Sidhu for exerting pressure. At the same time, he clarified that he continues to be the state AG.
\Deol’s refusal assumes significance as both the AG office and also the Chief Minister’s Office have maintained that the resignation has been submitted by Advocate General to the Chief Minister. His office has even maintained that AG would be addressing the media regarding this later in the day. On the other hand, the CMO has also confirmed that resignation has been received, and the same would be sent to the Governor or put up before the Cabinet for further decision.
Channi, addressing the media after the Cabinet meeting, also refused to comment on the reports of AG’s resignation.
Notably, Deol was appointed as the AG on September 27. Notably, Sidhu has all along been taking on his own party’s government demanding that the current state police chief and the top law officer should be replaced. Sidhu had stated that the appointment of IPS officer Iqbal Preet Singh Sahota as the state police chief, and senior advocate Amar Preet Singh Deol as the state’s top law officer are “salt on the wounds of the victims” of the 2015 sacrilege cases.
Sidhu had earlier tweeted, “Demand for Justice in Sacrilege cases and for arrest of main culprits behind the drug trade brought our Govt in 2017 & Due to his failure, People removed the last CM. Now, AG / DG appointments rub salt on wounds of victims, they must be replaced or we will have No face!!”
The appointments of Sahota and Deol as DGP and AG, respectively, were a major bone of contention between Channi and Sidhu, that led to the latter’s sudden resignation from the post of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president — only 72 days after taking over the party reins.
Sidhu has all along been opposing Sahota and Deol’s appointments as the senior IPS officer as appointed head of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe sacrilege incidents by the erstwhile SAD-BJP government; while the senior advocate has been representing former police chief Sumedh Singh Saini who was named an accused in sacrilege and related police firing cases.
Deol had also secured blanket bail for Saini in all the cases, just about a fortnight before his appointment, with the Punjab and Haryana High Court observing that Saini’s involvement in multiple cases could be a “political ploy in the wake of the coming state Assembly elections”.
Incidents of theft and sacrilege of the Sikh holy scripture, Guru Granth Sahib, rocked Punjab in October 2015 when the SAD-BJP was in power.
Channi had invited him for talks after he sent shock waves in the Congress party circles by announcing his resignation.
During the meeting, the Chief Minister assured Sidhu to send a panel of officers to Union Public Serve Commission (UPSC) for DGP’s appointment, while proposing the appointment of Special Public Prosecutor for special cases, including sacrilege.
Day later, the Government had appointed senior advocate Rajwinder Singh Bains as ‘Special Public Prosecutor’ for all sacrilege-related cases; while, in the process, making it clear that Deol was here to stay as the state AG by removing the sole objection against his appointment.
In fact, during the recent meeting of All India Congress Committee (AICC) state presidents and general secretary in-charges, Sidhu raised the issue of key government appointments of the state DGP and the AG while pressing for “justice” in sacrilege cases.
Sidhu, speaking at the meeting chaired by AICC chief Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi, among others, said that to beat the anti-incumbency in the State assembly polls scheduled early next year, justice in the incidents of sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib and related firing cases was a must.
“To ensure that justice is done in sacrilege cases, the matter of DGP and AG’s appointments should be resolved at the earliest,” he submitted, adding that justice in sacrilege cases is a significant and emotional issue for all Punjabis.