Punjab's Advocate-General APS Deol on Monday handed over his resignation to the Chief Minister, barely a month after his appointment. State Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu had opposed the senior advocate's appointment as he was at one time the counsel for two accused cops in a sacrilege and police firing case. It is also being said that the decision may be a result of frequent meetings between the Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and the Congress high command.
Mr Deol's appointment had triggered a debate within the party as well as he had represented former top cop Sumedh Singh Saini and Inspector General Paramraj Singh Umaranangal in relation to cases regarding incidents of sacrilege and subsequent police firing in Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan in 2015.
Navjot Kaur Sidhu, Congress leader and wife of the Punjab Congress chief, welcomed the decision. "...Attorney General (APS Deol) had appeared for (former DGP Sumedh Singh) Saini. He (who represented the accused in the 2015 sacrilege case) can't represent us. Attorney General had to be changed," she told reporters. Ms Sidhu also said there was no conflict between Mr Sidhu and Mr Channi. "They meet every day and their meetings go on till three in the morning," she said, indicating the decision was taken with mutual agreement.
The cases are politically sensitive, and action on them was one of Congress's pre-poll promises declared in their election manifesto. Former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh was also criticised for allegedly stalling the case, a charge he denies. He then had to step down as Chief Minister following a rebellion from party MLAs regarding this, among other issues.
Mr Deol was appointed after the post fell vacant following Atul Nanda's resignation soon after Captain Amarinder Singh stepped down as Chief Minister.
Navjot Singh Sidhu has been demanding his replacement, along with that of Iqbal Singh Sahota, the Director-General of Police (DGP) of Punjab.
"Demand for Justice in Sacrilege cases and for the 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 the wounds of victims, they must be replaced or we will have no face," Mr Sidhu had tweeted on October 3.
"Confidence 100, Skill 0": Navjot Singh Sidhu Trolls India Star Ahead Of T20 World Cup Final. Watch 'Thanks For The Super Over vs Pakistan': World Cup Winner Praises India-Born USA Pacer Saurabh Netravalkar Virat Kohli Served "No Disrespect" Message, India Great Wants Star To Sacrifice Batting Spot In T20 World Cup Elon Musk Replies To 'We Need Your Help Removing Trudeau' Post Aligarh Muslim University A Minority Institution? Supreme Court's Key 4:3 Verdict Chaos In Jammu And Kashmir Assembly Again Over Resolution For Article 370 In 17th-Century "Anti-Vampire" Grave, Woman Buried With Sickle Around Neck China's Maths "Prodigy" Cheated To Ace The Global Contest, Probe Finds Australian Outlet That Interviewed S Jaishankar Responds To Canada's Ban Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.