Supreme Court Seeks Data On Advocate General’s Office Appointments; Gives Two Weeks’ Time To Government To Furnish Details

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Supreme Court, on Tuesday, granted two weeks’ time to the state government to submit data on the appointment of OBC, SC/ST and women advocates in the office of the Advocate General (AG).

The OBC Advocates Welfare Association had filed an SLP in the Supreme Court in 2022. Justice M Sudesh and Justice Satish Sharma heard the petition.

Senior advocate Rameshwar Singh Thakur told the SC that in Madhya Pradesh, OBC, SC, and ST communities constitute about 88% of the population, and 49.8% of them are women.

Yet, advocates from these categories are not being given proper representation in the Advocate General’s office, resulting in negligible representation as judges in the High Court and the Supreme Court.

The court was informed that Sections 2(b) and 2(f) and 3 and 4(2) of the Madhya Pradesh Reservation Act, 1994, clearly state that reservation applies to the appointments of legal officers appointed to the Advocate General’s Office, District Courts, and Board of Directors, as government advocates are paid salaries determined by the government from state funds (public funds).

The Advocate General’s Offices in Jabalpur, Indore, and Gwalior, as well as the Supreme Court, have sanctioned positions for over 150 government advocates, including Additional Advocate General, Deputy Advocate General, Government Advocate, and Deputy Governor’s Advocate, and over 500 panel advocates.

There are over 1,000 positions in the state’s district courts, corporations, and banks, totalling approximately 1,800 positions. Reserved categories and women are not being given representation in these appointments, argued the advocate.