A-G seeks contempt against Maharashtra Wakf Board in SC for removing him

The Supreme Court on Tuesday expressed displeasure over the Maharashtra Wakf Board's bid to replace Attorney General K K Venugopal as a counsel in the middle of hearing on an important question whether all lands donated by Muslims for charitable work would come under Wakf.

The A-G also wrote a letter to the top court, terming it as an act of contempt of court.

“This is not correct. Is this the way to treat the AG,” a bench presided over by Chief Justice N V Ramana said, after the A-G pointed towards the attempt to remove him from the case.

Appearing virtually, the A-G said “yesterday there was a letter that I am not representing (the Wakf Board). So far this has never happened”.

“This is not the way in which you have to behave with the A-G,” the bench further said, agreeing to the plea.

The A-G asked the top court to take the letter on board so that necessary action can be taken.

The court decided to take up the matter for consideration on August 19.

In a letter to the Supreme Court, Venugopal took strong exception to the action taken by Wakf Board.

“All this interference with counsel who are to represent parties being removed at the last minute is a serious, uncalled for, and unwarranted attempt to interfere in the due administration of justice by removing counsel representing the parties. This clearly is an act of contempt of court,” the AG said, in his letter to the registrar (judicial).

“The Attorney General cannot be dealt with so casually through a letter of this nature," he added.

Venugopal also complained that senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, who had informed the court on the last occasion that the A-G would be leading him and has been instructing him in the matter, has been withdrawn from the case.

The A-G said that the Constitution provides him with a right to an audience and he would use that provision to address the court even if the Wakf Board removed his preferred advocate-on-record.

The A-G said Javed Shaikh, the special counsel appointed by the Wakf Board who has been instructing me in the Wakf Board cases from 2011 and who, in my opinion, is an authority on Wakf law, has been removed from his post.