A city-based social activist filed a complaint before Maharashtra and Goa Bar Council against Goa’s Advocate General (AG) for allegedly violating regulations by assuming the post of a director of a government corporation while continuing in the constitutional post.
Activist Aries Rodrigues has in his complaint pointed out that the appointment of Mr Subodh Kantak as one of the directors of the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC) while being AG of the state, was violation of Bar Council regulations.
Mr Rodrigues has also requested the Bar Council to examine whether Mr Kantak had violated the Bar Council regulations by assuming a post of director of a government corporation while being an advocate and above all the AG of Goa.
‘While occupying such a high Constitutional post as Advocate General, propriety required that one should not be a Director in a government corporation,’ Mr Rodrigues said.
He had also stated that Mr Kantak, who is India’s highest paid AG, is also probably the only AG in the nation’s history to have been appointed as a director of a government corporation.
Mr Kantak was a Director on the Board of GSIDC from February one 2006 to September 13, 2007. The proposal to appoint him was moved on the recommendation of the then Chief Minister Pratapsingh Rane.
Mr Kantak continued as director even after Mr Digambar Kamat took over as Chief Minister.
Stating that the Constitution requires that an AG be qualified to be a High Court judge, Mr Rodrigues had said the appointment of an AG as a Director in a government corporation was ‘clear conflict of interest’ as the AG represents the state and leads arguments in the High Court on behalf of all Public Sector undertakings.
Mr Rodrigues has also sent to the Bar Council a copy of the minutes of the 18 Board meetings of the Corporation held during Mr Kantak’s tenure as Director where it had approved projects amounting to crores of rupees.
Mr Rodrigues, under the Right to Information Act, obtained the 424 pages of the minutes of the Board meetings.
Records of the minutes showed that at some board meetings Mr Kantak gave legal opinion to the Board as AG.
The GSIDC is a wholly owned company of the state government with an authorised Share Capital of Rs 500 lakh.
However, Mr Kantak had suddenly resigned as Director on September 13, 2007, without citing any reason, Mr Rodrigues stated.
