VIJAYAWADA: The HC on Thursday questioned a petitioner as to why the public interest litigation (PIL) challenging the payment of `15.80 crore in professional fees to senior SC counsel Siddharth Luthra focused only on him and did not raise issues relating to payments made over the past decade.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Lisa Gill and Justice Challa Gunaranjan was hearing a PIL alleging that Luthra, who appeared for the State government in several cases, including liquor scams, was paid professionally in violation of the prescribed rules.
The bench observed that various courts, including the Andhra Pradesh High Court, had already delivered clear judgments on matters concerning payment of professional fees.
It directed the petitioner to study those judgments and place them before the court. The bench subsequently adjourned the hearing.
Earlier, Advocate General Dammalapati Srinivas contended that the petitioner had approached the court by suppressing material facts. He said the PIL had challenged payments made to Luthra from the government exchequer over a period of two years.
The petition was filed by Vemu Kondala Rao, a retired railway employee from Vijayawada, alleging that Rs 15.80 crore was paid to Luthra for representing the State government in various cases in violation of the Andhra Pradesh Advocate Fees Rules, 2010.
The petitioner sought quashing of the relevant government orders and directions to the authorities to recover the alleged excess amount paid to the senior counsel.
During the hearing, the bench specifically sought clarification on why the petitioner had singled out Luthra and had not raised questions regarding payments made over the previous ten years.