<p>Additional solicitor general Harin Raval has become the third senior law officer to resign after the UPA II returned to power in 2009.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The first to quit was Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium in July 2011. He was followed by successor Rohinton Nariman in February 2013. In between, additional solicitors general Parag Tripathi, Vivek Tankha and Biswajit Bhattacharya also quit, raising speculation among the legal fraternity over the nature of relationship that the government was maintaining with its law officers.<br /><br />Raval is the second law officer to resign during the short tenure of Law Minister Ashwani Kumar.<br /><br />The government’s decision to hire a private lawyer (incidentally, it was Nariman) to represent it in the 2G spectrum case forced Subramanium to resign as he was irked by the move. Apparently belittled by the move, he sent the resignation letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who tried to persuade him but in vain.<br /><br />Next to quit, Nariman had differences of opinion with Kumar on certain issues. Son of eminent jurist Fali Nariman, Rohinton was said to be not happy over certain directions of minister Kumar. That he was asked to represent the government in lower courts and tribunals was not to his liking, sources said.<br /><br />Now comes the resignation of Raval after his differences with Attorney General G E Vahanvati. Raval said he was made the “scapegoat” in the coalgate controversy. He had submitted to the apex court that the draft status report in the coal scam was not shared with the government. However, the CBI, in a contradictory stand, told the SC that the report was indeed shared with the law minister and the PMO.<br /><br />Speaking to <em>Deccan Herald</em> on the spate of resignations, former ASG Vikas Singh said Raval, though a fine lawyer, should not have made a wrong statement before the court. “It was an error. As for government’s interference, while it can give directions to the CBI on administrative matters, no one can tinker with investigation conducted by the agency.”<br />Regarding Subramanium’s resignation, Singh said it was no fault on the part of the government. “It is the client’s prerogative. Now, senior advocate UU Lalith is appearing for CBI and PP Rao is representing government in 2G case. Both are private lawyers. Should senior most law officer resign because of this”, he asked.<br /><br />On the resignation of Nariman, Singh said government was wrong as he was appointed to argue cases only in SC and not in any other court. “To that extent he was right but I don’t know if there was any other reason,”the former ASG added.<br /></p>
<p>Additional solicitor general Harin Raval has become the third senior law officer to resign after the UPA II returned to power in 2009.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The first to quit was Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium in July 2011. He was followed by successor Rohinton Nariman in February 2013. In between, additional solicitors general Parag Tripathi, Vivek Tankha and Biswajit Bhattacharya also quit, raising speculation among the legal fraternity over the nature of relationship that the government was maintaining with its law officers.<br /><br />Raval is the second law officer to resign during the short tenure of Law Minister Ashwani Kumar.<br /><br />The government’s decision to hire a private lawyer (incidentally, it was Nariman) to represent it in the 2G spectrum case forced Subramanium to resign as he was irked by the move. Apparently belittled by the move, he sent the resignation letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who tried to persuade him but in vain.<br /><br />Next to quit, Nariman had differences of opinion with Kumar on certain issues. Son of eminent jurist Fali Nariman, Rohinton was said to be not happy over certain directions of minister Kumar. That he was asked to represent the government in lower courts and tribunals was not to his liking, sources said.<br /><br />Now comes the resignation of Raval after his differences with Attorney General G E Vahanvati. Raval said he was made the “scapegoat” in the coalgate controversy. He had submitted to the apex court that the draft status report in the coal scam was not shared with the government. However, the CBI, in a contradictory stand, told the SC that the report was indeed shared with the law minister and the PMO.<br /><br />Speaking to <em>Deccan Herald</em> on the spate of resignations, former ASG Vikas Singh said Raval, though a fine lawyer, should not have made a wrong statement before the court. “It was an error. As for government’s interference, while it can give directions to the CBI on administrative matters, no one can tinker with investigation conducted by the agency.”<br />Regarding Subramanium’s resignation, Singh said it was no fault on the part of the government. “It is the client’s prerogative. Now, senior advocate UU Lalith is appearing for CBI and PP Rao is representing government in 2G case. Both are private lawyers. Should senior most law officer resign because of this”, he asked.<br /><br />On the resignation of Nariman, Singh said government was wrong as he was appointed to argue cases only in SC and not in any other court. “To that extent he was right but I don’t know if there was any other reason,”the former ASG added.<br /></p>
