VIJAY DEO JHA
Ranchi, June 20: The Hemant Soren government is liable to pay Rs 22 lakh amount per hearing to one of the most acclaimed lawyers Kapil Sibal to argue on behalf of the state government in the PIL 4290/2021.
So far in this matter Kapil Sibal is said to have appeared on behalf of the state government on six occasions—twice before the Supreme Court and remaining before the Jharkhand High Court. In this way the government is liable to pay him Rs 1.32 crore so far, while the case is yet to be concluded.
Besides, Advocate General Rajiv Ranjan also appears on behalf of the state government and he is entitled to represent the state government before the Supreme Court.
The petitioner of this PIL Shiv Shankar Sharma has alleged that Chief Minister Hemant Soren, his close associates and others have parked their unaccounted money in various shell companies. The petitioner has demanded a CBI inquiry into the matter which the state government has been opposing, hence, it engaged Kapil Sibal to argue on behalf of the state.
As per the document and correspondence of the state law department accessed by this correspondent, Kapil Sibal will get Rs 22 lakh from the government for per hearing.
In one such correspondence with Kapil Sibal, the principal secretary of the law department Nalin Kumar has said that the government has engaged him to argue on behalf of the state government in PIL 4290/2021. The law department also notified Pallavi Langar, the advocate- on-record at Supreme Court to assist Kapil Sibal.
The letter states that for the May 13 hearing of the PIL, the state government will pay him Rs 22 lakh as fee and the same would be paid by the department of Cabinet Secretariat and Vigilance. There is no confusion that the amount mentioned in the official correspondence is meant for one hearing.
Mukul Rohatgi represents Hemant Soren
It should be noted that Shiv Shankar Sharma has filed another PIL 727/2022 in which he has alleged Chief Minister Hemant Soren for availing stone mining lease in his name while as a chief minister as well as the minister of the mining and forest department.
Hemant Soren has engaged another top Supreme Court lawyer Mukul Rohatgi. Rohatgi so far has appeared seven times on behalf of Hemant Soren. Mukul Rohatgi had saved the Bollywood kid Aryan Khan in the drug case of the NCB.
The Jharkhand High Court has clubbed hearing of both the PILs and the next hearing is scheduled on June 23.
