New Delhi:
After tendering his resignation, a move that surprised many, Solicitor General Gopal Subramaniam today told NDTV that he quit in order to "protect the dignity of his office". He also met President Pratibha Patil today but the meeting was described as a courtesy call.
The top law officer put in his papers yesterday after the government picked a private lawyer, Rohington Mistry, to defend Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal in the Supreme Court. Mr Sibal is accused of bending rules to favour Anil Ambani's Reliance Communications, a charge that he has vehemently denied.
(Read: Telecom rules not bent to save Anil Ambani several crores, says Sibal)Sources say the government's decision to rope in Mr Mistry to represent Mr Sibal in court upset Mr Subramaniam, triggering his resignation.
Sources close to the Telecom Minister, though, claimed that Mr Nariman had been appointed in his personal capacity and that the minister hadn't broken protocol.
The argument, sources close to Mr Subramaniam insist, does not hold water as Mr Nariman's appointment was on an official order issued on the Law Ministry's letterhead.
Sources also say that the government didn't consult Mr Subramaniam before appointing Mr Nariman.
The Solicitor General's resignation has been backed by legal luminaries.
"If he feels slighted, that is the only correct thing to do. If I was in his position, I would have done the same without hesitation", said Justice JS Verma, former Chief Justice of India.
The 53-year-old Solicitor General's resignation comes after a growing disquiet within the government over his handling of sensitive cases. In a major embarrassment to the Centre, the Supreme Court had, in November last year, sought an affidavit on the alleged "inaction" by Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh in preventing the then Telecom Minister A Raja from allocating 2G spectrum in a controversial manner. This was viewed as a serious failure on the part of the Solicitor General.
Mr Subramaniam had sought to be dismissive about it but the government has subsequently asked Attorney General G E Vahanvati to represent the Prime Minister in the apex Court in place of the Solicitor General.
The government is also said to be unhappy in the manner in which Mr Subramaniam handled the Salwa Judum and the black money cases.
According to sources, Mr Subramaniam is now awaiting a response from the Prime Minister's Office. But that's not the only headache the government has to contend with. There are reports that Mr Subramaniam's deputy and co-counsel, Additional Solicitor General Amarjeet Singh Chandok, may follow suit and step down.
A prospect that the government would be keen to avoid in a season marred by scams and controversies.