Thiruvananthapuram | Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan on Wednesday said the appointment of new government pleaders was based on merit and recommendations, asserting that the state does not bow to pressure from political or student organisations while choosing its legal representatives.
The CM said there were allegations regarding the appointment of two government pleaders, with claims that one had been a member of the SFI and the other of the ABVP during their college days.
He said at a press conference that widespread media reports were claiming the Indian Lawyers Congress had complained about the appointment of the two advocates as GPs. However, no complaints had been received in this regard.
Satheesan said that, according to a report submitted to him by the state committee of the Indian Lawyers Congress, the names of the two advocates had been recommended for appointment.
"Both those individuals are members of the ILC. We examine the background of all the recommended names before deciding whether to appoint them. Both of them are competent. We also discussed the matter with the advocate general before deciding to appoint them as GPs," he said.
The Students Federation of India and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad are the student wings of the CPI(M) and the RSS, respectively.
Satheesan said that the Kerala Students Union unit committee of Thiruvananthapuram Law College does not decide who should be appointed as a GP and that the media was creating such reports.
KSU is the student wing of the Congress.
The CM criticised senior CPI(M) leader and former Law Minister P Rajeev for allegedly making fun of the government for increasing the number of GPs.
He said that during the last two LDF governments, the number of GPs had been increased by 16, and this was done without following the proper procedure.
This time, the AG and the Director General of Prosecution had recommended increasing the number of GPs by 23 in view of the rising number of litigations and courtrooms, but only 12 were appointed due to financial constraints, he said.
"So, those who increased the number of GPs in the past are now criticising or making fun of us when we do it. What is the basis for their criticism?" the CM asked.
Satheesan said that Rajeev had commented on his body language.
"He is an intellectual, an orator, a thinker and a writer. I am not all that. I am a common man. I laugh when I hear a joke, cry when I feel sad and explode when I am angry. He may not have liked my body language because his methods are different from mine," the CM said.