Amidst the growing unease between the Congress’ top leadership over several Government appointments, the Punjab Government on Monday hit another controversy by engaging Deputy Chief Minister-cum-Home Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa’s son-in-law as the state’s Additional Advocate-General.
Randhawa’s son-in-law, Tarun Vir Singh Lehal, was among the two advocates appointed as the state’s additional AGs in the State on Monday. Another advocate, Mukesh Chander Berry, has also been appointed additional AG.
Already, the office of Punjab AG is under attack by Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu over the appointment of APS Deol as the state’s top law officer. Lehal’s appointment has also led to sharp criticism by the rival political parties.
The notification in this regard was issued by the Department of Home Affairs and Justice. While Justice is with the Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, the Home portfolio is with Randhawa.
Lehal, while talking with a news agency, said that the appointment has been made on the basis of merit and experience on the recommendation of the state’s Advocate-General. “I have been practicing for almost 13 years in the High Court...Being a son-in-law of somebody, if that is negative, then I do not know what to say,” he said.
The two will be defending cases for and on behalf of the state of Punjab in the Punjab and Haryana High Court on prevailing terms and conditions, as per the order.
This engagement would be purely on a contractual basis initially up to March 31, 2022, which is extendable on year to year basis, according to the order.
Jobs to relatives of Ministers, Legislators and senior Congress leaders have time and again created uproar in the Congress Government. Recently in September, the State Cabinet had approved the appointment of the then Revenue Minister and senior Congress MLA Gurpreet Singh Kangar’s son-in-law as the Excise and Taxation Inspector by tweaking rules.
Earlier in June, Capt Amarinder Singh-led Government’s decision to appoint the sons of Ludhiana North Congress MLA Rakesh Pandey and Qadian MLA Fateh Jung Bajwa as Naib Tehsildar and Punjab Police Inspector, respectively, also came under sharp criticism. Randhawa was among the Congress leaders who had opposed the move in the Cabinet and outside as well.
Before that also, the Congress Government received severe criticism for appointing the grandson of slain Chief Minister Beant Singh as DSP in the state Police force on compassionate grounds by fine-tuning the Rules.
Notably, after coming to power in 2017, the Congress Government had appointed Beant Singh’s grandson Guriqbal Singh, who is also the brother of Ludhiana MP Ravneet Singh Bittu and cousin of Congress MLA Gurkirat Singh Kotli, as DSP by granting “special permission” by relaxing maximum age requirement.
GHAR GHAR NAUKARI LIMITED TO SONS, RELATIVES OF CONG MINISTERS, MLAS ONLY: SAD
Reacting to the appointment of Home Minister Randhawa’s son-in-law as an additional AG, SAD president Sukhbir Badal said that the Chief Minister Channi was following the footsteps of his predecessor Capt Amarinder Singh by doling out plum jobs to children of Congress Ministers and legislators. “The Ghar Ghar Naukari scheme has become a Congress Ghar Naukari scheme alone,” he added.