Law Minister terminates engagement of two BJP-sponsored Govt advocates

◆Vishal sought reasons of his shifting to Education, RDD

◆Parimoksh refused to withdraw anti-beef PIL

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

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SRINAGAR, Sep 22: Law Minister Basharat Bukhari on Tuesday gave a major affront to PDP's coalition partner BJP by terminating services of Additional Advocate General (AAG) Vishal Sharma and Deputy Advocate General (DAG) Parimoksh Seth on account of their failure to toe his party's line on a petition against cow-slaughter in Jammu and Kashmir High Court.

After taking Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on board, Bukhari, according to sources, directed Law Secretary Mohammad Ashraf Mir to terminate the services of the two BJP-sponsored advocates. Law Secretary accordingly issued a Government Order.

While as Sharma, who had been allocated Home Department upon his engagement earlier this year, had been lately shifted to Education and Rural Development departments, Seth was designated as DAG in Jammu.

Highly placed government sources revealed to STATE TIMES that Bukhari had in the last two days attempted to take Dy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh into confidence, explaining to him "PDP's political compulsions" for disengagement of the two Jammu-based lawyers. However, talks between the two Ministers failed as Singh insisted that their termination would cause damage to BJP's credibility, influence and vote base in Jammu. Thereafter, Bukhari, on advice of the top PDP leadership issued direction for the two advocates' termination.

The termination order will definitely cause remarkable embarrassment to BJP as both the lawyers are well connected to the Sangh Parivar and are known to have been appointed on the recommendation of RSS earlier this year. Vishal Sharma happens to be the son of senior advocate Leela Karan Sharma, currently J&K State head of Vishwa Hindu Parushad. The elder Sharma was also head of Sagharsh Samiti that sponsored the turbulent Amarnath Land allotment agitation for about three months in 2008.

Parimoksh Seth is a senior leader of BJYM and son of senior BJP leader Onkar Seth. He is also known for his close association with Anurag Thakur, BJP youth leader, MP from Himachal Pradesh and a top functionary of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

Sources revealed to STATE TIMES that Vishal Sharma had addressed a letter through Advocate General to Law Secretary asking him to explain the reason of his shifting from Home to Education and RDD. Law Department had earlier this month shifted Sharma from Home as he had failed to represent the PDP-led government in a PIL seeking enforcement of the ban on cow-slaughter in Jammu and Kashmir. As the PIL went uncontested, a Division Bench directed Director General of Police to strictly enforce Section 298 A, B, C and D that makes anybody indulging in cow-slaughter liable for imprisonment of 10 years and fine.

Seth was the petitioner of the PIL which he had filed in 2014, months before his appointment as DAG. When, Law Department asked Seth to withdraw the PIL, he initially agreed but later refused to take the Law Department's diktat. A couple of days ago, he straightaway communicated to Law Secretary and Law Minister that he had been advised by BJP and particularly Deputy Chief Minister not to withdraw the PIL. 

"He said plainly that he had filed the PIL on the direction of his party high command and he could withdraw it only on the direction of the high command. Chief Minister and other PDP Ministers took exception to the two advocates' conduct. This led to termination of their service", said a senior bureaucrat.

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[Published in today's STATE TIMES]